Up until they reached the Mandan villages in present-day North Dakota,
the Corps of Discovery traveled in a keel boat specially designed for
the task. Built in Pittsburgh, the keel boat traveled down the Ohio
River until reaching the Mississippi River and eventually, St. Louis.
Once upon the Missouri, the boat had to be pulled upstream, an arduous
task by any standard, usually making around five miles a day. By the
spring of 1805, the expedition switched to canoes and pirogues, the
latter comprised of hollowed-out cottonwood logs often strapped together
for stability. These boats provided the men with adequate transportation
until reaching the Rocky Mountains, whereupon travel on foot and when
they could obtain them, horseback, became common. On the return trip
down the Missouri–traveling with the current–the expedition
could make up to 70 miles a day, although the average was around 35
to 40.
Image Courtesy of the Lewis & Clark
Interpretive Center
