An unusual participant in the first government expedition to the USA (8 photos)

The expedition, the purpose of which was to explore the strategically important lands of America in the area of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, was approved in 1803 by President Jefferson, who believed that this would contribute to the expansion of the country's foreign trade.





It was headed by the president's secretary, 29-year-old Captain Meriwether Lewis and 33-year-old Lieutenant William Clark, with whom Lewis served in the army.



Clark and Lewis

The large-scale journey, which included meeting and establishing relationships with various Indian tribes, describing their way of life, terrain, drawing maps, collections of plants and minerals, made the men heroes.

But if the trained guys perfectly understood what hardships, difficulties and hardships awaited them on the expedition, then there was one participant in its composition who went on the expedition against his own will. But he proved himself no less worthy.





Expedition route

This turned out to be a Newfoundland dog, which Lewis purchased for twenty before going out. The dog, which was given the nickname Sailor, is mentioned from the first pages of the diary. Clark wrote about the pet as agile, strong and obedient. The sailor carried squirrels to the participants of the hike, even caught them out of the water. And once he managed to catch up and drag in a wounded deer that had fallen into the river. This earned him the favor of the entire team, who called the Newfoundland “our dog.”



The Shawnee Indians were so impressed by the dog that they offered the leader three bear skins in exchange. But he refused - how can you sell a friend?



Expedition Monument in Kansas City, Missouri

However, the Indians wanted to get their hands on the smart animal so much that they decided to steal it. Clark became so enraged that he ordered not only to catch up with the kidnappers, but also gave the go-ahead to shoot if they did not hand over the Sailor. Fortunately, everything happened without bloodshed: the kidnappers abandoned their loot and escaped.

One day, a dog, living up to its nickname and adoring the water element, was bitten by a beaver during a chase in the river. The dog began bleeding heavily. But he turned out to be strong, recovered and continued the journey.



Missouri River Monument

And in the late spring of 1805, a faithful comrade saved Clark and Lewis from a bison. The giant rushed straight towards the tent in which the men were sleeping peacefully. The sailor barked loudly, and the buffalo turned aside. Every evening the dog went out on duty and guarded the camp from encroachment by bears. The bears were not averse to profiting from food supplies, but thanks to the Sailor, all the food remained intact.



Sculpture in North Dakota

Along with people, the dog steadfastly endured all the hardships of camp life, suffering from insect bites and cuts received in the forest. In the diaries of the expedition members after their return, the Sailor was no longer mentioned, but Lewis named a stream in Montana in honor of his favorite.

Many residents of the United States know the sailor and consider him a hero-explorer. Several monuments and memorials are dedicated to the expedition, in which the four-legged traveler takes a worthy place.



Sculptural composition in Nebraska