Entering Teton Country

Entering Teton Country. Lewis and Clark Expedition. The expedition passed Régis Loisel's abandoned trading post east of here on Sept. 22, 1804. Around the cedar fort, they saw Indian "lodges" and fallen cottonwoods, a sign that horses had been feeding on the bark. The next day, three Teton Sioux boys swam up to the expedition's campsite and told the captains of a large band, about 80 lodges, camped near the mouth of the next river., The captains gave the boys tobacco and directed them to tell their chiefs they would meet the following day. This would be the expedition's first encounter with the Teton Sioux., The Sioux Nation , By 1804, the Sioux Nation dominated the northern Plains. Even President Jefferson in Washington was aware of their reputation. "On that nation, we wish most particularly to make a favorable impression" he told Captain Lewis. The Sioux Nation consisted of three major divisions: the Santees, the Yanktons and the Tetons. Each spoke a different dialect, calling themselves "Dakota," "Nakota" or "Lakota," all of which mean "allies.", Lewis and Clark 1803 - 1806 , In 1803, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson sent an expedition commanded by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, to seek a route to the Pacific Ocean and to make peaceable contact with the native peoples. On May 14, 1804, the explorers proceeded up the Missouri River. They reached the Pacific in November 1805. They returned to St. Louis on Sept. 23, 1806, having traveled more than 8,000 miles in two years, four months and nine days.