Discovery.

Lewis (Samuel), Clark, Harrison, Samuel, Bradford and Inskeep, A map of Lewis and Clark's track, across the western portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean : by order of the executive of the United States in 1804, 1814

A closer look at this beauty is HERE.

The greatest camping trip ever began on this date in 1804 when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and The Corps of Discovery left St. Louis for the Pacific Ocean.

We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trod. The good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessels contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves. However, as the state of mind in which we are, generally gives the coloring to events, when the imagination is suffered to wander into futurity, the picture which now presented itself to me was a most pleasing one. Entertaining as I do the most confident hope of succeeding in a voyage which had formed a darling project of mine for the last ten years, I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life. 

Meriwether Lewis

An interactive map is HERE.

Stephen Ambrose's masterful storytelling makes Ken Burns' documentary, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery outstanding and inspiring ...

I was born at the wrong time.

Happy Birthday, Clark

Peale, C.W., William Clark, 1810

August 1, 1806

at 2 P. M. I was obliged to land to let the Buffalow cross over. not withstanding an island of half a mile in width over which this gangue of Buffalow had to pass and the chanel of the river on each side nearly 1/4 of a mile in width, this gangue of Buffalow was entirely across and as thick as they could swim. the chanel on the side of the island the[y] went into the river was crouded with those animals for 1/2 an hour. (I was obliged to lay to for one hour) the other Side of the island for more than 3/4 of an hour. ... two gangues of Buffalow crossed a little below us, as noumerous as the first.

William Clark, born on this day in 1770, from his journals

Discovery.

Lewis (Samuel), Clark, Harrison, Samuel, Bradford and Inskeep, A map of Lewis and Clark's track, across the western portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean : by order of the executive of the United States in 1804, 1814

A closer look at this beauty is HERE.

The greatest camping trip ever began on this date in 1804 when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and The Corps of Discovery left St. Louis for the Pacific Ocean.

We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trod. The good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessels contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves. However, as the state of mind in which we are, generally gives the coloring to events, when the imagination is suffered to wander into futurity, the picture which now presented itself to me was a most pleasing one. Entertaining as I do the most confident hope of succeeding in a voyage which had formed a darling project of mine for the last ten years, I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life. 

Meriwether Lewis

An interactive map is HERE.

Stephen Ambrose's masterful storytelling makes Ken Burns' documentary, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery outstanding and inspiring ...

I was born at the wrong time.

Excellent.

An excellent book ...

Grand.

Clark/Lewis, S., A Map of Lewis and Clarks' Track Across the Western Portion of North America from the Mississippi to The Pacific Ocean; by Order of the Executive of the United States in 1804, 5 & 6, 1814

On this day in 1804, Lewis and Clark began their grand camping trip.

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Expedition.

Gass, Lewis & Clark Holding a Council with the Indians, 1817

On this day in 1803, Thomas Jefferson, determined to begin the American exploration of the vast mysterious regions of the Far West, sends a special confidential message to Congress asking for money to fund the journey of Lewis and Clark. 

Jefferson had been trying to mount a western expedition of exploration since the 1790s, and his determination to do so had only grown since he became president in 1801. In summer 1802, Jefferson began actively preparing for the mission, recruiting his young personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to be its leader. Throughout 1802, Jefferson and Lewis discussed the proposed mission, telling no one-not even Congress, which would have to approve the funds-of what they were contemplating. Jefferson directed Lewis to draw up an estimate of expenses. 

Basing his calculations on a party of one officer and 10 enlisted men-the number was deliberately kept small to avoid inspiring both congressional criticisms and Indian fears of invasion-Lewis carefully added up the costs for provisions, weapons, gunpowder, scientific instruments, and a large boat. The final tally came to $2,500. The largest item was $696, earmarked for gifts to Indians. 

Following the advice of his secretary of the treasury, Albert Gallatin, Jefferson decided not to include the request in his general proposed annual budget, since it involved exploration outside of the nation’s own territory. Instead, on January 18, 1803, he sent a special secret message to Congress asking for the money, taking pains to stress that the proposed exploration would be an aid to American commerce. Jefferson noted that the Indians along the proposed route of exploration up the Missouri River “furnish a great supply of furs & pelts to the trade of another nation carried on in a high latitude.” 

If a route into this territory existed, “possibly with a single portage, from the Western ocean,” Jefferson suggested Americans might have a superior means of exploiting the fur trade. 

Though carefully couched in diplomatic language, Jefferson’s message to Congress was clear: a U.S. expedition might be able to steal the fur trade from the British and find the long hoped-for Northwest passage to the Pacific. Despite some mild resistance from Federalists who never saw any point in spending money on the West, Jefferson’s carefully worded request prevailed, and Congress approved the $2,500 appropriation by a sizeable margin. It no doubt seemed trivial in comparison to the $9,375,000 they had approved a week earlier for the Louisiana Purchase, which brought much of the territory Jefferson was proposing to explore under American control. With financing now assured, Lewis immediately began preparing for the expedition. Recruiting his old military friend, William Clark, to be his co-captain, the Corps of Discovery departed on their epic exploration of the uncharted regions in spring 1804.

Thanks to This Day in U.S. Military History.

Excellent.

An excellent book ...

Discovery.

Lewis (Samuel), Clark, Harrison, Samuel, Bradford and Inskeep, A map of Lewis and Clark's track, across the western portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean : by order of the executive of the United States in 1804, 1814

A closer look at this beauty is HERE.

The greatest camping trip ever began on this date in 1804 when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and The Corps of Discovery left St. Louis for the Pacific Ocean.

We were now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civilized man had never trod. The good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessels contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves. However, as the state of mind in which we are, generally gives the coloring to events, when the imagination is suffered to wander into futurity, the picture which now presented itself to me was a most pleasing one. Entertaining as I do the most confident hope of succeeding in a voyage which had formed a darling project of mine for the last ten years, I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life. 

Meriwether Lewis

An interactive map is HERE.

Stephen Ambrose's masterful storytelling makes Ken Burns' documentary, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery outstanding and inspiring ...

I was born at the wrong time.

Happy Birthday, Peale

Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822

Charles Willson Peale, the cataloger of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was born on this date in 1741.

Grand.

Clark/Lewis, S., A Map of Lewis and Clarks' Track Across the Western Portion of North America from the Mississippi to The Pacific Ocean; by Order of the Executive of the United States in 1804, 5 & 6, 1814

On this day in 1804, Lewis and Clark began their grand camping trip.

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Didn't.

Happy birthday, Lewis.

Peale, C.W., Meriwether Lewis, 1807

Meriwether Lewis was born on this day in 1774.

How he led is no mystery. His techniques were time-honored. He knew his men. He saw to it that they had dry socks, enough food, sufficient clothing. He pushed them to but never beyond the breaking point. He got out of them more than they knew they had to give. His concern for them was that of a father for his son. He was the head of a family.

These are some of the qualities that make for a good company commander. Lewis had them in abundance, plus some special touches that made him a much-loved commander. He had a sense, a feel, for how his family was doing. He knew exactly when to take a break, when to issue a gill, when to push for more, when to encourage, when to inspire, when to tell a joke, when to be tough. He knew how to keep a distance between himself and the men, and just how big it should be. He knew his profession and was proud of it and one of the very best at it.

Stephen A. Ambrose on Meriwether Lewis, from Undaunted Courage

Meandering.

I mean to tell you this story the only way I know how. That is to say, I will tell it like a river. It may meander here and there, but in the end it will always find its way to the sea.

Two hundred years ago, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their wooden boats up the Missouri River in search of the illusory Northwest Passage, a journey that would capture the American imagination and help forge a young nation's identity. Now, in a riveting debut novel, Allan Wolf tells the story of this extraordinary voyage through the eyes of not only the famed pair but also several members of their self-named Corps of Discovery. Here, in powerful, lyrical language, is a medley of voices from a surprisingly diverse crew — from the one-eyed French Indian fiddler who pilots the boats to Clark's African American slave; from the young Shoshone woman who has a baby en route to Lewis's Newfoundland dog, a "seer" whose narrative resonates long after the book is closed.

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Happy birthday, Peale.

Peale, C.W., Joseph Brant, 1979

Charles Willson Peale was born on this day in 1741.

Charles Willson Peale and the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition ...

The world was certainly changing in 1806, even as the Museum itself was yet going strong. In 1804 Peale had received a first specimen from the Lewis and Clark expedition:  a horned lizard. Many more specimens arrived in October 1805, including three live ones (two magpies and a prairie dog). Other specimens arrived later, the items listed in the accession books in 1809 and reported in Poulson's Daily Advertiser on March 1, 1810.  Some items came to the Museum as late as 1828, the year following Peale's death and when Jefferson's Poplar Forest Plantation was sold.

As a man who shared Jefferson's politics, a museum director who benefited from the expedition's discoveries, and someone with a keen interest in natural history, Charles Willson was as enthusiastic about the expedition as anyone. The future of America had ever-widening possibilities, and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were two of the new nation's heroes. The stuffed birds and mammals, the skins and skeletons, and especially the Indian artifacts, that Peale received—mainly from Lewis, through Jefferson—greatly benefited the museum and consequently the public's appreciation of the expedition. Any number of connections between Peale, the expedition, and its specimens could be enumerated, but it is perhaps most illuminating to concentrate on two:  mounting the pronghorn antelope and the relationship between Peale and Lewis.

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Track.

Lewis (Samuel), A Map of Lewis and Clark's Track, Across the Western Portion of North America, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, by the Executive Order of the United States (copied from the original by William Clark), 1806

The Interditch has redeemed itself. Thank you, Library of Congress.

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Happy trails, Corps of Discovery.

On this date in 1804, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Corps of Discovery left St. Louis, Missouri and headed west to begin the greatest camping trip ever.

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