Celebrating their return
by James P. Ronda
Two days after returning to St. Louis, its citizens celebrated the expedition’s return with a grand dinner and ball. Here are the eighteen toasts as reported in the Kentucky Western World.
Eccentric genius
by James L. Reveal
Rafinesque took a scientific interest in the plants and animals mentioned by Lewis and Clark. In addition to the six species of conifers, he also established the scientific name for the prairie dog, the white-footed mouse and the mule deer.
Bozeman Pass and Pompeys Pillar
by Barbara Fifer, Joseph A. Mussulman
In 1902, Wheeler followed the Northern Pacific’s course over Bozeman Pass and the Yellowstone River promoting both the railroad and the Lewis and Clark Centennial.
The first published accounts
by Doug Erickson
Publications that attempted to tell the story of Lewis and Clark were being printed before Lewis and Clark had even returned from their trans-Mississippi exploration. Their popularity continued for approximately ten years after they returned to St. Louis.
Their daring tactical plan
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Dividing into as many as five separate details was part of a bold, diplomatic plan to achieve three of the objectives set by President Jefferson.
At the Falls of the Missouri
by Joseph A. Mussulman
After Lewis’s preliminary sketch, later artists and photographers contributed to the visual documentation of the “sublimely grand” waterfall including Barralet, Gustavus Sohon, A. E. Mathews, and F. Jay Haynes.
Lewis's workbook
by Robert N. Bergantino
Known now as the “Astronomy Notebook,” this extraordinary document has been an obscure and often neglected detail in the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Transcribed in full with commentary by Robert Bergantino.
Introduction to "Deciphering the Celestial Data"
by Robert N. Bergantino
Lewis and Clark made celestial observations at “all remarkeable points on the rivers.” Hassler was selected to complete the longitude calculations from that data, but he never finished the job. Jefferson was not satisfied.
Hamilton's victory
by Charles F. Reed
Lewis may have viewed this bank as a symbol of a victory of Hamilton over Jefferson in the first clash of their respective interpretations of the Constitution.
Lewis’s meteoric progress through the first three degrees of Masonry signified confidence on the part of the most prominent men of Albemarle that the 23-year-old Lewis was similarly destined for moral, civic, and political leadership.
Endless possibilities
by Joseph A. Mussulman
One amateur historian averred that it was “a corruption of the French name Le Louis, given to the stream and pass by early French trappers” in honor of Meriwether Lewis. Another claimed that the mystery [wo]man was named after “Lolo [i.e., Lola] Montez, a noted Spanish beauty.”
Thomas Jefferson was as interested in the methods and equipment for “ascertaining by celestial observation the geography of the country” as with any other single aspect of the Expedition. As faithfully as they could, the captains complied with the President’s wishes.
La Gran Excursión
by Dan Flores, Joseph A. Mussulman
Narrado tanto en inglés como en español, Daniel Flores narra la historia de una exploración paralela y sureña ahora casi olvidada.
The "Grand Excursion"
by Dan Flores, Joseph A. Mussulman
Narrated in both English and Spanish, Daniel Flores tells the story of a parallel, southern exploration now nearly forgotten.
One year before Clark
The fourth literate explorer to go up the Yellowstone (and before Clark) was François-Antoine Larocque, who is important to the story of Lewis and Clark on the Middle Missouri for several reasons.
Bad medicine
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Pvt. Robert Frazer came close to being the expedition’s first fatality, for he was “verry Sick, struck with the Sun.” Probably his affliction would be diagnosed today as either heat exhaustion or sunstroke.
On 28 December 1809, Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea were in St. Louis to baptize their son Jean Baptiste. Auguste Chouteau was listed as the child’s Godfather and signed the baptismal record.
Post-expedition reactions
by Joseph A. Mussulman
For nearly 100 years, the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s full contribution to natural science was underpublished and a disappointment to many scientists expecting to learn more about the natural history of the regions explored. When it came to the mosquito, these naturalists were doubly disappointed.
Petites Côtes
by Joseph A. Mussulman
With Captain Clark in sole command, the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery left the mouth of Wood River on 14 May 1804. The flotilla was comprised of the barge and two pirogues. Clark and the men “proceeded on under a jentle brease,” bound for St. Charles.
The Army's 'blue book'
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Steuben’s book was much more than a “blue book” of military regulations and procedures. It concluded with guides to character, pride and conduct for men of every rank, from regimental commanders and their subordinates, to non-commissioned officers and privates.
This page was funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service's Challenge Cost Share Program.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).