s junction with the Gallatin, and travelled
for a distance up the latter stream, then crossed by land to the
Yellowstone River.

Canoes were constructed upon the Yellowstone, and the party floated
down to the junction of this river with the Missouri. There the two
bands were fortunately reunited, and together they passed rapidly
down the Missouri until they reached the "village" of St. Louis,
where the whole population came out to welcome them. As the party
had been gone more than two years, it was feared that they would
never be heard from again.

There can be no doubt that the expedition of Lewis and Clark added
greatly to the public interest in the vast region which they traversed,
and helped to bring about the final retention of the Oregon country.
The Hudson Bay Fur Company soon after established trading posts at
various points along the Columbia, and kept up their contention
that all the country lying north of the river rightfully belonged
to England.

It was very remarkable that the Lewis and Clark expedition had
made the long journey to the Pacific and back without meeting with
serious accident. There were perils to be met on account of the
ruggedness of the country, the rapids in the streams, the lack of
food, and the danger of attack from the Indians. The successful
accomplishment of the plan was without a doubt largely due to the
ability of the two brave leaders.

THE RUSSIANS IN CALIFORNIA

How many of us know that the Russians once established a post upon
the coast of California and held it for nearly a third of a century?
If the geographic conditions about this post had been different, it
is possible that the Russian colonists would hold their position
now.

The discoveries made upon the North American coast by the Russian
navigator, Bering, in 1741, led to fur trading with the Indians; and
in 1798 the Russian American company was organized and established
its headquarters at Sitka.

The Spaniards still claimed the whole Pacific coast of North America
as far north as the Strait of Fuca, though they had given up their
station at Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island. They had, however, made
no settlements north of the port of San Francisco.

It was nearly one hundred years ago that Rezanof, a leading Russian
official, arrived at Sitka and began to investigate the condition
of the settlements of the Russian American Fur Company. He found
them in a sorry state; the people were nearly starved and mo