Topographer

"...I discovered immence ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered with snow.  I now descend the mountain about 3/4 of a mile to a handsome bold runing Creek of cold Clear water.  here I first tasted the water of the great Comlumbia River." ~Meriwether Lewis, August 12, 1805

                      Courtesy of Corbis.com
 

Responsibilities:

Your bag is packed with food, clothes, and most importantly, plenty of paper to record the land you see.  You feel that no mountain will be too big to climb, no river too deep to cross.  You, as the topographer (one who studies maps, and landforms, in this case) must be brave, for your job is an important one.  You will be the Corps member who studies and takes notes on all the mountains, praires, streams, rivers, and any other important part of the terrain.  In order to be prepared for the 10 questions that you will be required to write for the game, you must use your field journal to record major landforms and waterways.  If you complete your job successfully, you and your fellow members will have an accurate map to use as your game board.

Questions:

1. Approximately how many miles long do you think the trail is?  (Check using the scale on a real map)
2. What major river did the Corps set out on from Saint Louis, Misourri?
3. After reading the journal entries on map2, describe how the Corps dealt with rivers that headed in unknown directions and mountains that looked insurpassable.
4. How would you go about making a map of what you find?  What did Lewis and Clark use to make their maps?  Where did they stand to get a feel for the land?
5. Who were the three forks in the river named after?
6. What was the most difficult part of the journey to navigate, in your opinion?
7. You just set your eyes upon the ocean that you have been traveling toward for more than a year.  How do you react?
8. What are the names of the separate rivers that Lewis and Clark took back to St. Louis?

Links:
 

• Before you begin to investigate the landforms of the West, take a look at these maps to get a basic idea of the area you will be traveling.  Click on both map 1to enlarge them!

• Click on each bullet of this map 2 to read a journal entry by Lewis or Clark.

• After traveling down the calm Missouri River, Lewis and Clark's expedition approached the Gates of the Rockies.  Find out why they were a little surprised!

• As you are traveling down the river, Sacagawea spots Beaver Head Rock.  Find out why this sighting was so important to the group.

• Naming the Three Forks  that Lewis and Clark came to in the Missouri River was tough.  Check out this journal entry that Lewis wrote about it.  Who would you name a river after?

• Take a look at what Lewis and Clark saw when they finally reached the Ocean.

• During the Trip back , the Lewis and Clark Expedition split up and traveled down separate rivers.  Find out which ones here.