Lewis And Clark

At the behest of President Thomas Jefferson, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark set out on May 14, 1804 with three boats to explore the western land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark traveled up the Missouri river from St. Louis, across the Rocky Mountains, and down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, having to carry their boats on land in spots where the river was too treacherous.

They were guided in their travels by a Native American woman named Sacajawea, who not only shared their privations but was pregnant and gave birth to a son while on the journey.

Lewis and Clark returned to Sept. 23, 1806, and received a hero's welcome. They brought back much information in the form of diaries, maps and plant samples. Only one man out of the party of 40 died during the trip, which is extraordinary considering how they endured some hostile Indians, wild animals, and lack of food.

Both were rewarded with large plots of land. Lewis later served as governor of the Louisiana Territory, and Clark governed the Missouri Territory.

Among the scholars of Lewis and Clark was the Louisiana State University historian John L. Loos.