December 7, 1803
Cahokia arrivals
Lewis travels by land and Clark by river to arrive at Cahokia, Illinois. Lewis meets John Hay and Nicholas Jarrot who help him negotiate with the Spanish Lt. governor of Upper Louisiana.
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December 6, 1803
Passing the Meramec
On this dark, wet day, Lewis travels by land towards Cahokia and St. Louis. Clark and the boats move up the Mississippi and stop at a farm above the Meramec River.
Zebulon Pike
Forgotten explorer
by Jay H. Buckley
Like his contemporaries Lewis and Clark, Pike also provided information on flora and fauna and discovered several new species. His southern exploration paved the way for a viable route linking the United States and Santa Fe.
Searching for Lead
by John W. Jengo
In the afternoon of 4 June 1804, William Clark decided to investigate the purported occurrence of lead in the vicinity of a rather unique prominence he named “Mine Hill,” but which is known today as Sugar Loaf Rock. The search was unsuccessful, but Lewis’s previous inquiries while in St. Louis resulted in 11 specimens sent to Thomas Jefferson.
Clark, York, and Slavery
by James J. Holmberg
The mistake should never be made that the two men were friends. They were master and slave, owner and property, superior and inferior. As close as that relationship was for the many years and countless miles they were by each other’s side, for all the dangers and hardships they shared their relationship always was based on William as master and York as servant.
Building the Barge
Was it Jacob Myers?
by William K. Brunot
Valuable reevaluation of the evidence has accumulated about the building of the Lewis and Clark barge some two hundred years ago. Much of this evidence supports the conclusion that Jacob Myers was the principal builder.
Army Life and Leadership
by Sherman L. Fleek
Retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former chief historian of the National Guard Bureau discusses frontier army life in 1803 and the exemplary military leadership of the co-captains and non-commissioned officers.
Black Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa
by Kristopher K. Townsend
This variety of the common chokecherry gave Lewis his decoction of simples and was the subject of his botanical scrutiny.
Bitter Cherry
Prunus emarginata
by Kristopher K. Townsend
Lewis collected a specimen of bitter cherry, Prunus emarginata, while at Long Camp on 29 May 1806 and described it on 7 June 1806. He wrote that “the natives count it a good fruit”.
Thomas Jefferson and the A.P.S.
by Carol Lynn MacGregor
Thomas Jefferson’s leadership of the fledgling American Philosophical Society was appropriate. His perspective was entirely the same as its stated purposes, and his contributions to it have continued to enrich and guide it.
The Falls of the Missouri
by Joseph A. Mussulman
From Indian information the previous winter, the captains knew they would encounter a great falls in the Missouri River. What they found was a 14-mile-long series of waterfalls and rapids that drops 473 feet.
Wood River by Air
Starting point
by Joseph A. Mussulman
Clark recorded: “Capts. Lewis & Clark wintered at the enterance of a Small river opposite the Mouth of Missouri Called wood River, where they formed their party, Composed of robust Young Backwoodsmen of Character.”
American Elk
Wapati
by Kenneth C. Walcheck
One of the animals recorded by Lewis and Clark—and which became one of the staples of their mostly carnivorous diet—was the wapiti, or American elk (Cervus elaphus).
Lewis and Clark as Ethnographers
by James P. Ronda
As ethnographers, the captains provided “names of the nations & their numbers” and recorded the strange cultures they encountered. Their work as ethnographers is examined here by James Ronda.
Lee A. Dugatkin
Lee Alan Dugatkin, Ph.D., is a professor and Arts and Sciences Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Biology at the University of Louisville. He is the author of many books.
André Michaux
The man and his 'almost expedition'
by Lee A. Dugatkin
In 1792, André Michaux approached members of the American Philosophical Society informing his potential sponsors that he was “ready to go to the sources of the Missouri and even explore the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean.”
Prior Military Careers
Militias and Indian Wars
by Sherman L. Fleek
Prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis began their military careers by actively serving in their local militias. After that, they joined the regular army and first met during the Ohio Valley’s Indian wars.
The American Philosophical Society
Promoting useful knowledge
by Carol Lynn MacGregor
In this brief extract from We Proceeded On, the quarterly journal of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Carol MacGregor explains the beginning and purpose of the American Philosophical Society and its connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Hunter and Dunbar Expedition
Up the Ouachita River
by Jay H. Buckley
While Lewis and Clark wintered in North Dakota, Dunbar and Hunter explored the Ouachita River in Arkansas. They would alter Jefferson’s plans to explore the Red and Arkansas Rivers.
Harpers Ferry
U.S. Armory and Arsenal
by Joseph D. Jeffrey
During preparations, Lewis relied on the Harpers Ferry Armory and Arsenal for the guns and hardware that would meet his unique requirements.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
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).