By: MaryChar W Erickson

There would be many different biological, geographical, and human changes in the Missouri River ecosystem if the Lewis and Clark Expedition never occurred. There probably would not be as many people if any in the Midwest. The Missouri is known for flooding so the river would probably be in a different path. And many of the plants and animals that lived in this area would probably still be here.

This area could possibly be not as developed considering we might not have even bought the land in the first place. The land lying along the Missouri River could be ruled by another country if Jefferson had never bought it and Lewis and Clark had never explored it. There probably would not be as towns or cities. The Native Americans probably would be settled in this area.

The Missouri River would probably have a different path in the land. It was known for flooding and changing. The dams have also changed the path that the river takes. The land would probably not be cultivated and developed. The Missouri is known for being a very silt filled river so there would be more erosion on the banks. Lewis and Clark’s expedition had very profound impacts on the land sometimes called the Missouri River Basin.

The biological changes that occurred along the Missouri river include plants and animals that have adapted and changed. Many animals have left the river basin for other places because of the human adaptations. Also humans have killed some of the plants that lived along the river whether they thought they were weeds or were just in the way. Many biological changes have occurred.

The Lewis and Clark expedition had a very profound effect on the land; humans and animals that lived along the Missouri River with out their exploration of this land a lot of things would be different. We are very glad that they explored this land or maybe we would be in a different area.

We would not know much about the West if the expedition had not occurred. I would wonder what types of climate you would encounter while you were in the West. There could be parts that were too hot to live in such as deserts or too cold like Alaska. The plants and animals would also be questionable to me. The theories of seven-foot beavers and wooly mammoths could still be true. Some plants of our diet that we now consider fruits and vegetables might not have been discovered. Plants containing important ingredients for medicine might not be known to exist. The result of this would be sickness and even death in cases where the sickness is not life threatening, but was back then.

Native Americans might be our enemies instead of our friends. They could attack us thinking that we are trying to take over their land when we are only trying to expand into the West. We would not know their cultures and their ways of doing things, which would be important to know. The physical landscape is an essential discovery that the Corps of Discovery made and we would not know much about without it. This includes any major landforms such as mountains, deserts, and rivers that would be great to know about before moving. This shows that the Lewis and Clark expedition not only made important discoveries, but it helped people prepare for the move into the West.

If the expedition never happened there probably wouldn’t be any campgrounds. There wouldn’t be hardly any tourist attraction. They might not have built any dams to keep the river nice. If Lewis and Clark never went on their expedition there might not be any states. There wouldn’t be any real good powered boats. No canals would have been made to help boats to get around and make transporting things easier.

By: Fauna

What would the United States be like if the expedition never happened? Where would we be living? Would we have the inventions we have? Things sure would be different. Have you ever thought about it?

Lewis and Clark’s expedition had a great impact on our life today. Without this expedition we would probably be living on the east coast. The population would be smaller because of less land to live on. The people might still believe that there are 7-foot beavers and mounds of undissolved salt.

The land would be unused and full of plants. There would be many animals to roam free. They wouldn’t have to worry about people killing them or having to fight for a lot of food. The food we eat would be a lot different too because we would not know of many of the animals because we would not know that they were there.

The United States would be a smaller country, though it could be large too. There could be a shortage of food because there wouldn’t be enough room for farms. If you think about it there were Native Americans so the land wouldn’t be unpopulated. They could have gone larger and the United States government might have seen them as a threat and started some kind of war.

A lot of things could have happened making things the same and making things different. Lewis and Clark took a journey that plenty of people would have turned down because of their fears. They took it though and now we are all where we are because of them.

What if the Lewis and Clark Expedition Never Existed?

          Have you ever thought how the ecosystem would have changed if the Lewis and Clark Expedition never had occurred? There are many biological, geographical, and human changes that have occurred since the Lewis and Clark Expedition took place. Many animals have dropped in numbers since the expedition. More people have been moving on the land. There have been many different changes to the environment.

            There are many biological differences from the time Lewis and Clark explored until now. Buffalo were roaming the fields because there were no fences to hold them in. Today fields are fenced in with domestic animals such as cows, horses, sheep, and goats. The hillsides and prairies were covered with long, native grasses. Now most of the ground is tilled up and planted with corn, beans, hay, and other crops. 

            There have been many geographical changes since the Lewis and Clark Expedition took place. The land has been put into agricultural use such as corn, wheat, and oats. Grazing from the buffalo has been replaced with the cutting of different crops. Over the past years, more trees have been cut down because of houses being built. Bridges and roads have been built for major transportation.

            Human changes have been made since the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The population has expanded over the past 200 years. People these days don’t usually hunt and kill animals for survival, but go to their local store and purchase food. Today, you don’t usually see people riding horses to town. People these days own automobiles and can travel more quickly and efficiently.

            There have been many biological, geographical, and human changes since the Lewis and Clark Expedition took place. We must be careful that we protect the natural resources of the land. We have the responsibility to ensure our younger generation that they should help protect and save the environment. If we help out each other, the world will be a better place. We all need to be involved in helping in this challenge.      

        ~ Katie