After several attempts to find a water route from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean President Jefferson anxiously gave his final orders to Captain Lewis, asking him to map the land with the famous Stony Mountains, establish good terms with all the wild Indian tribes, and bring samples or drawings of all of the unusual or new flora and fauna. With this presidential order in hand Lewis teamed with Captain Clark, thirty men, one woman with a newborn and a dog through 2,800 treacherous miles of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. George Shannon, the youngest member, joins this band of men with a musket in hand, a small pack of personal belongings, and Kentucky frontier knowledge.