On November 8, 1805, the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean. They began scouting for a place to spend the winter. Should they stay near the coast? Or should they move back up the Columbia River? Which side of the river should they camp on?
Sacagawea wanted to settle where there was plenty of wapatoo, an edible root. At one point, the captains took a vote. Sacagawea got to vote. So did York, Clark’s slave. It was the first time in American history that an enslaved person and a woman had voted. It would be a long time before that happened again. Eventually, the Corps built Fort Clatsop on a small stream that flowed into the Columbia River. The group stayed there until March 23, 1806.
