Measuring Heights and Distances
From Owen's Dictionary
by Joseph A. Mussulman
This article shows methods for measuring heights and distances as described by Owen’s Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1754), a book in the expedition’s traveling library.
Search Results for: Lewis and Clark Expedition
Dyes and Shellac
by Joseph A. Mussulman
A brief account of the dyes and shellacs used at the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Clark’s Nutcracker
Nucifraga columbiana
by Joseph A. Mussulman
On the Salmon River, Clark “saw to day [a] Bird of the woodpecker kind which fed on Pine burs it’s Bill and tale white the wings black every other part.” Later, Meriwether Lewis had time to study and describe it with his usual thoroughness.
Clark’s ‘Nightingale’
A mystery bird
by James Wallace
After the night of 3 June 1804, just past the Moreau River in present-day Kansas, Clark and Ordway reported that a loud bird sang all night. They called it a nightingale, but no such species lives in North America. Just what type of bird did they hear?
Birdwatcher’s Guide to Lewis and Clark
by Virginia C. Holmgren
As you find each one and try to check each identifying clue, you cannot help but know much of the same challenge, the same success—or frustrations—that kept Lewis and Clark birdwatchers to the end.
The Freeman-Custis Expedition
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.
Lewis’s Medicinal Purchases
Analyzing Whelan's invoice
by Gregory J. Higby
Prior to starting, Lewis ordered 29 botanical and chemical medicines plus some related equipment and supplies. The contents of Lewis’s list have much to tell us about the medical challenges he expected to face on his journey.
Log Line, Reel, and Ship
Measuring nautical speed
by Joseph A. Mussulman
This device was typically used for measuring the speed of a vessel at sea, but it could also be used to measure the velocity of a river’s current. It consisted of four parts: a log-ship, or log-chip; a specially calibrated log-line; a reel to hold the log-line; and a log-glass, or sand-glass.
Mapping Siouxland
A cartographic palimpsest
by Joseph A. Mussulman
The historic Map of Lewis and Clark’s Track Across the Western Portion of North America can fruitfully serve as a major palimpsest of American history as of the year in which it was created, 1810.
Lewis’s Branding Iron
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Lewis may have had this branding iron custom-made before he left the East, perhaps at Harpers Ferry, although there is no mention of it in existing records. Such tools commonly were used for marking wooden packing crates and barrels, and on leather bags, until the early 20th century.
Summary and Conclusions
Chapter 8
by William W. Bevis
William Bevis summarizes his eight-part series on the design of the dugout canoes built by the expedition.
Crossing the Clark Fork
Lewis's rafting adventure
by Joseph A. Mussulman
With every crossing they unavoidably drifted farther downstream. Lewis recounted the climactic rafting episode of the day.
Sandbar Hazards
Knotty problem
by Joseph A. Mussulman![](/media/lctoday/wark_034-Springfield-IA-sq.jpg")
The task of piloting the expedition’s boats efficiently through the Missouri’s windings and blind leads was the principal responsibility of Pierre Cruzatte who, as a riverman, earned the respect and confidence of every member of the party.
Expedition Tents
Shelter on the trail
by Robert R. Hunt
While in Philadelphia in the summer of 1803, Lewis clearly had foreseen the rigors of weather which would be encountered on a planned two year “campaign.” He carefully provided, as any military commander would, for appropriate protection for his soldiers.
Clark’s Military Rank
An elephant on the trail
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Lewis had assured Clark that their situations would be identical in every respect, beginning with rank. The fact that Clark was actually a lieutenant was a secret kept throughout the expedition.
Post-expedition Botany
Lewis worked under trying and difficult situations. While it is clear that he was only able to devote a portion of his time to the effort, what he did is widely respected.
The Woodlands
Repository of plant specimens
by Catharine P. Fussell, Joseph A. Mussulman, Timothy Preston Long
Lewis sent plant specimens to William Hamilton who cultivated them in his garden at The Woodlands outside of Philadelphia.
Common and Fallow Deer
Common meanings and tangled names
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Lewis and Clark used the word fallow mainly in reference to the color of the Virginia whitetail. Few, probably, had ever seen a picture of a European fallow deer, and may have been unaware that this species’ distinctive antlers were not round like those of indigenous North American deer.
Lewis in Philadelphia
Training and shopping
by Charles F. Reed
When Meriwether Lewis traveled to Philadelphia in 1802, his guide to the city was Mahlon Dickerson who gave him a survey of people and places well beyond the privilege or opportunity of most Philadelphians of the time.
Rush and the Expedition
Influential physician
by Charles Greifenstein
The advice Dr. Rush had given Lewis often sounds rather odd or useless by modern standards, and wasn’t followed to the letter by the captains, but it fulfilled Jefferson’s request.
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 Heritage Foundation
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
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).