Our curious America, broadly interested in science, geography, history, and art, had a huge discovery in its backyard. The Corps of Discovery, blessed with perilous journeys, difficult interactions, and golden opportunities, was America's greatest expedition, led by the famous Meriwether Lewis and his chosen partner, William Clark. The northwestern region of the United States had yet to be explored by the Americans. government in 1803. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America, had made the Louisiana Purchase for $15,000,000 on April 30, 1803. The purchase included over 827,000 square miles of French land west of the river Mississippi. “Much of Jefferson's motivations were purely disinterested in scientific curiosity. His perpetually active and curious mind had long been intensely interested in Indian tribes, plants, animals, fossils, aboriginal languages, and the geography of the great mysterious area which, at that time, might well have been described as 'the darkest North America'” ( ​​Without Cooking v). After the final purchase was made, Thomas Jefferson assembled a team of nearly fifty men, including Lewis and Clark. In May 1804, the Corps of Discovery set out on a two-year voyage to undertake once-in-a-lifetime exploration. To deal with the first harsh winter, a fort was built in what is now Bismarck, North Dakota. “At that time Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, joined the expedition as a guide and translator. In 1805, the party followed the Missouri westward to its headwaters, then crossed the Rocky Mountains and proceeded up the Salmon, Snake, and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Ocean” (Houghton 653). The Corps of Discovery had found what it was looking for on November 7, 1805, the... middle of paper... was not so lucky. Meriwether was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1774. “He was an army captain and served in numerous campaigns against Native Americans before becoming (1801) secretary to his friend President Jefferson” (Meriwether 1). After the famous expedition was completed, the Louisiana Territory needed a governor: Lewis was perfect for the job. Lewis and Clark wrote the storybook of the Northwest United States. The vast land was an empty and desolate space until explored. Their descriptions of geography and wildlife gave America its historical edge in civilization. All that is documented has made western expansion easier to travel. Overcoming the obstacles of Native American peril, unknown climates, and perfection of observation made the Corps of Discovery the greatest exploration within the boundaries of North America.