Author's Note

The Lewis and Clark Expedition took place a long time ago. But we know thousands of facts about it because the Captains kept a careful record. They wrote in their journals every day. Some of the men also kept journals.

They told what they thought, did, and said. They told what they ate—and how they like it. They wrote of the weather, the country, and the Indians they met. They described trees, plants, animals, birds, fish, and insects.

All we know of Sacajawea is what was written in the journals. But we can fill in details of her childhood with what we know about the life of the Shoshone Indians of that time.

Only a few of the important facts from the journals could be crammed into one small book. But I have tried to choose those which will give you a clear picture of the brave, loyal Indian girl and the courageous men who, with their faithful dog, were the first Americans to cross the Rocky Mountains and go on to the Pacific Ocean.

The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is a true story as exciting as any adventure story ever written.

Jerry Seibert