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{{Short description|1804–1806 American expedition}}
{{Redirect|Lewis and Clark|the leaders of the expedition|Meriwether Lewis|and|William Clark|other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox event
| image = Lewis and Clark.jpg
| caption = Portraits of [[Meriwether Lewis]] and [[William Clark]]
| map = Lewis and Clark Expedition map.svg
| map_size = 300px
| map_caption = Route of expedition with modern borders
| date = {{start and end dates|1804|05|14|1806|09|23}}
| duration = 862 days
| motive = Explore the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]]
| organizers = U.S. President [[Thomas Jefferson]]
| participants = [[Corps of Discovery]], i.e. Lewis, Clark, and 40 men
| reported deaths = 1 – [[Charles Floyd (explorer)|Charles Floyd]], August 1804 near [[Sioux City, Iowa]]
}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

The '''Lewis and Clark Expedition''', also known as the '''Corps of Discovery Expedition''', was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. The [[Corps of Discovery]] was a select group of [[U.S. Army]] and [[civilian]] volunteers under the command of Captain [[Meriwether Lewis]] and his close friend Second Lieutenant [[William Clark]]. Clark, along with 30 others, set out from [[Camp Dubois]] (Camp Wood), [[Illinois]], on May 14, 1804, met Lewis and ten other members of the group in [[St. Charles, Missouri]], then went up the [[Missouri River]]. The expedition crossed the [[Continental Divide of the Americas]] near the [[Lemhi Pass]], eventually coming to the [[Columbia River]], and the [[Pacific Ocean]] in 1805. The return voyage began on March 23, 1806, at [[Fort Clatsop]], [[Oregon]], ending six months later on September 23 of that year.

President [[Thomas Jefferson]] commissioned the expedition, shortly after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, to explore and detail as much of the new territory as possible. Furthermore, he wished to find a practical travel route across the western half of the continent—directly avoiding the hot and desolate desert [[Southwestern United States|southwest]]—and to establish an American presence in the new lands before European powers attempted to establish claims of their own. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific, economical and humanitarian, i.e., to document the West's [[biodiversity]], [[topography]] and [[geography]] and to establish positive trade relations with (potentially unknown) [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] tribes. The expedition returned to [[St. Louis]] to report their findings to President Jefferson via maps, sketches, and various journals.<ref>[[#Woodger'09|Woodger, Toropov, 2009]] p. 150</ref><ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]], Chap. VI</ref>

==Motivations==
One of [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s goals was to find "the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce." He also placed special importance on declaring US sovereignty over the land occupied by the many different Native American tribes along the [[Missouri River]], and getting an accurate sense of the resources in the recently completed Louisiana Purchase.<ref>[[#Miller|Miller, 2006]] p. 108</ref><ref>[[#Fenelon|Fenelon & Wilson, 2006]] pp. 90–91</ref><ref name="Lavender32">[[#Lavender|Lavender, 2001]] pp.32, 90</ref><!-- defined by Template:Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition --><ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] pp. 82, 192</ref> The expedition made notable contributions to science,<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 113</ref> but scientific research was not the main goal of the mission.<ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] p. 9</ref>

== Preparations ==
For years, Thomas Jefferson read accounts about the adventures of various explorers on the western frontier, and, consequently, maintained a long-held interest in further exploring this mostly-unknown region of the continent. In the 1780s, while [[List of ambassadors of the United States to France|Minister to France]], Jefferson met [[John Ledyard]] in [[Paris]], where they discussed a possible trip to the [[Pacific Northwest]].<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 69</ref><ref>[[#Gray|Gray, 2004]] p. 358</ref> Jefferson had also read Captain [[James Cook]]'s ''A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean'' (London, 1784), an account of Cook's [[Third voyage of James Cook|third voyage]], and [[Le Page du Pratz]]'s ''The History of Louisiana'' (London, 1763), all of which greatly influenced his decision to send an expedition. Like Captain Cook, he wished to discover a practical route through the Northwest to the [[Pacific]] coast. [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]] had already charted a route in his quest for the Pacific, following [[Canada]]'s [[Mackenzie River]] to the [[Arctic Ocean]] in 1789. Mackenzie and his party were the first non-indigenous people to cross mainland North America, north of [[Mexico]], reaching the Pacific coast of [[British Columbia]] in 1793–twelve years earlier than Lewis and Clark. Mackenzie's accounts in ''Voyages from Montreal'' (1801) informed Jefferson of [[Great Britain|Britain]]'s intent to establish control over the lucrative [[North American fur trade|fur trade]] of the [[Columbia River]], convincing him of the importance of securing the territory posthaste.<ref>[[#DeVoto|DeVoto, 1997]] p. xxix</ref><ref>[[#Schwantes|Schwantes, 1996]] pp. 54–55</ref> In [[Philadelphia]], [[Israel Whelen]], purveyor of public supplies, purchased necessities for the expedition with a list provided by Lewis; among the items found were 193 pounds of [[portable soup]], 130 rolls of pigtail [[tobacco]], 30 gallons of strong [[spirit of wine]], a wide assortment of Native American presents, medical and surgical supplies, [[mosquito net]]ting, and [[oilskin]] bags.<ref>Cutright 1969, p. 27.</ref>

Two years into his presidency, Jefferson asked [[United States Congress|Congress]] to fund an expedition through the Louisiana territory to the Pacific Ocean. He did not attempt to make a secret of the Lewis and Clark expedition from Spanish, French, and British officials, but rather claimed different reasons for the venture; he used a secret message to ask for funding, due to poor relations with the opposition [[Federalist Party]] in Congress.<ref>[[#Rodriguez|Rodriguez, 2002]] p. xxiv</ref><ref>[[#Furtwangler|Furtwangler, 1993]] p. 19</ref><ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 83</ref><ref>[[#Bergon|Bergon, 2003]], p. xiv</ref> Congress subsequently appropriated $2,324 for supplies and food, the appropriation of which was left in Lewis's charge.<ref>[[#jackson81|Jackson, 1993]], pp. 136–137</ref>

In 1803, Jefferson commissioned the [[Corps of Discovery]] and named Army Captain Meriwether Lewis its leader, who then invited William Clark to co-lead the expedition with him.<ref>Ambrose, pp. 98–99</ref> Lewis demonstrated remarkable skills and potential as a frontiersman, and Jefferson made efforts to prepare him for the long journey ahead as the expedition was gaining approval and funding.<ref>[[#Woodger'09|Woodger & Toropov, 2009]] p. 270</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/lewis-and-clark-expedition|title = Lewis and Clark Expedition|access-date = November 30, 2015|archive-date = December 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208150705/https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/lewis-and-clark-expedition|url-status = live}}</ref> Jefferson explained his choice of Lewis:

<blockquote>It was impossible to find a character who to a complete science in botany, natural history, mineralogy & astronomy, joined the firmness of constitution & character, prudence, habits adapted to the woods & a familiarity with the Indian manners and character, requisite for this undertaking. All the latter qualifications Capt. Lewis has.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-39-02-0499|title=Founders Online: From Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Smith Barton, 27 February 1803|website=founders.archives.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-04-12|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412181952/https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-39-02-0499|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

In 1803, Jefferson sent Lewis to Philadelphia to study medicinal cures under [[Benjamin Rush]], a physician and former leader in the [[American Revolution]]. He also arranged for Lewis to be further educated by [[Andrew Ellicott]], an [[astronomer]] who instructed him in the use of a [[sextant]], among other navigational instruments.<ref>[[#Gass|Gass & MacGregor, 1807]] p. 7</ref><ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 79, 89</ref> From [[Benjamin Smith Barton]], Lewis learned how to describe and preserve plant and animal specimens; from [[Robert Patterson (educator)|Robert Patterson]], refinements in computing latitude and longitude, and [[Caspar Wistar (physician)|Caspar Wistar]] covered [[fossil]]s, and the search for possible living remnants.<ref name="dd">{{cite book |last1=Duncan |first1=Dayton |last2=Burns |first2=Ken |title=Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery |date=1997 |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=9780679454502 |pages=9–10}}</ref><ref name="sa">{{cite book |last1=Ambrose |first1=Stephen |title=Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West |date=1996 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=9780684826974 |pages=81, 87–91}}</ref> Lewis, however, was not ignorant of science, having demonstrated a marked capacity to learn, especially with Jefferson as his teacher. At [[Monticello]], Jefferson possessed an enormous library on the subject of North American geography, to which Lewis had full access. He spent time consulting maps and books, as well as conferring with Jefferson.<ref>[[#jackson81|Jackson, 1993]], pp. 86–87</ref>

The [[Lewis and Clark's keelboat|keelboat]] used for the first year of the journey was built near [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], in the summer of 1803, to Lewis's specifications, and was completed on August 31. The vessel was immediately loaded with equipment and provisions. While in Pittsburgh, Lewis bought a [[Newfoundland dog]], [[Seaman (dog)|Seaman]], to accompany them. Newfoundlands are amicable, large working dogs and good swimmers, lovers of water and commonly found on fishing boats, as they can assist in water rescues. Seaman proved a valuable member of the party, aiding with hunting and protection from bears and other potential predators. He was the only animal to complete the entire trip.

Lewis and his crew set-sail that afternoon, traveling down the [[Ohio River]] to meet up with Clark near [[Louisville, Kentucky]], in October 1803, at the [[Falls of the Ohio]].<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 13</ref><ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1903|Homser, James Kendall, 1903]] p. 1</ref> Their goals were to explore the vast territory acquired by the Louisiana Purchase and to establish trade and US sovereignty over the Native Americans along the Missouri River. Jefferson also wanted to establish a US claim of "discovery" to the Pacific Northwest and [[Oregon Territory]] by documenting an American presence there before European nations could claim the land.<ref name="Lavender32"/><!-- defined by Template:Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition --><ref>[[#Kleber|Kleber, 2001]] pp. 509–510</ref><ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] pp. 1–5</ref><ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] p. 32</ref> According to some historians, Jefferson understood that he would have a better claim of ownership to the Pacific Northwest if the team gathered scientific data on animals and plants.<ref>[[#Miller|Miller, 2006]] pp. 99–100, 111</ref><ref>[[#Bennett|Bennett, 2002]] p. 4</ref> However, his main objectives were centered around finding an all-water route to the Pacific coast and commerce. His instructions to the expedition stated:

{{blockquote|The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River, & such principle stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purpose of commerce.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 94</ref>}}
[[File:Camp Dubois reconstruction 034.jpg|thumb|[[Camp Dubois]] (Camp Wood) reconstruction, where the Corps of Discovery mustered on the east side of the Mississippi River, through the winter of 1803–1804, to await the transfer of the [[Louisiana Purchase]] to the United States]]
The US mint prepared special silver medals with a portrait of Jefferson and inscribed with a message of friendship and peace, called [[Indian Peace Medal]]s. The soldiers were to distribute them to the tribes that they met. The expedition also prepared advanced weapons to display their military firepower. Among these was an Austrian-made .46 caliber [[Girandoni air rifle]], a repeating rifle with a 20-round tubular magazine that was powerful enough to kill a deer.<ref name="Saindon551">[[#Saindon|Saindon, 2003]] pp. 551–552</ref><ref name="Miller106">[[#Miller|Miller, 2006]] p. 106</ref><ref name="Woodger104">[[#Woodger'09|Woodger, Toropov, 2009]] pp. 104, 265, 271</ref> The expedition was prepared with flintlock firearms, knives, blacksmithing supplies, and cartography equipment. They also carried flags, gift bundles, medicine, and other items that they would need for their journey.<ref name="Saindon551"/><ref name="Miller106"/>
The route of Lewis and Clark's expedition took them up the [[Missouri River]] to its headwaters, then on to the [[Pacific Ocean]] via the Columbia River, and it may have been influenced by the purported transcontinental journey of [[Moncacht-Apé]] by the same route about a century before. Jefferson had a copy of Le Page's book in his library detailing Moncacht-Apé's itinerary, and Lewis carried a copy with him during the expedition. Le Page's description of Moncacht-Apé's route across the continent neglects to mention the need to cross the [[Rocky Mountains]], and it might be the source of Lewis and Clark's mistaken belief that they could easily carry boats from the Missouri's headwaters to the westward-flowing Columbia.<ref>[[#Lavender|Lavender, 2001]] pp. 30–31</ref>

== Journey ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Departure ===
[[File:Lewis and clark-expedition.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Corps of Discovery]] meet [[Chinook people|Chinooks]] on the [[Columbia River|Lower Columbia]], October 1805 (''Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia'' painted by [[Charles Marion Russel]], {{circa}} 1905)]]

The [[Corps of Discovery]] departed from [[Camp Dubois]] (Camp Wood) at 4{{nbsp}}pm on May 14, 1804. Under Clark's command, they traveled up the Missouri River in their keelboat and two [[pirogues]] to [[St. Charles, Missouri]], where Lewis joined them six days later. The expedition set out the next afternoon, May 21.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 137–139</ref> While accounts vary, it is believed the Corps had as many as 45 members, including the officers, enlisted military personnel, civilian volunteers, and [[York (explorer)|York]], an [[African American]] man [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved]] by Clark.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/18040514|title=May 14, 1804 &#124; Discovering Lewis & Clark ®|website=lewis-clark.org|date=May 14, 1804|access-date=March 20, 2020|archive-date=March 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320174243/http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/18040514|url-status=live}}</ref>

From St. Charles, the expedition followed the Missouri through what is now [[Kansas City, Missouri]], and [[Omaha, Nebraska]]. On August 20, 1804, Sergeant [[Charles Floyd (explorer)|Charles Floyd]] died, apparently from acute [[appendicitis]]. He had been among the first to sign up with the Corps of Discovery and was the only member to die during the expedition. He was buried at a bluff by the river, now [[Floyd's Bluff|named after him]],{{sfn |Peters |1996 |p=16}} in what is now [[Sioux City]], [[Iowa]]. His burial site was marked with a cedar post on which was inscribed his name and day of death. {{convert|1|mi|km|0}} up the river, the expedition camped at a small river which they named [[Floyd River|Floyd's River]].<ref>[[#allen1|Allen, Lewis & Clark, Vol. 1, 1916]] pp. 26–27</ref><ref>[[#Woodger|Woodger & Toropov, 2009]] p. 142</ref><ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 1 p. 79</ref> During the final week of August, Lewis and Clark reached the edge of the [[Great Plains]], a place abounding with [[elk]], [[deer]], [[American Bison|bison]], [[pronghorn]], and [[North American beaver|beavers]].

The Lewis and Clark Expedition established relations with two dozen Native American nations, without whose help the group would have risked starvation during the harsh winters and/or become hopelessly lost in the vast ranges of the Rocky Mountains.<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 13</ref>

The Americans and the [[Lakota people|Lakota]] nation (whom the Americans called [[Sioux]] or "Teton-wan Sioux") had problems when they met, and there was a concern the two sides might clash. According to Harry W. Fritz, "All earlier Missouri River travelers had warned of this powerful and aggressive tribe, determined to block free trade on the river. ... The Sioux were also expecting a retaliatory raid from the [[Omaha people|Omaha]] tribe, to the south. A recent Sioux raid had killed 75 Omaha men, burned 40 lodges, and taken four dozen prisoners."<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 14</ref> The expedition held talks with the Lakota near the confluence of the Missouri and Bad Rivers in what is now [[Fort Pierre, South Dakota]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bad River Encounter Site (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/bad-river-encounter-site.htm |website=nps.gov |language=en |access-date=May 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803043544/https://www.nps.gov/places/bad-river-encounter-site.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:001 Fort Mandan Interior.jpg|thumb|280px|Reconstruction of [[Fort Mandan]], Lewis and Clark Memorial Park, North Dakota]]

One of their horses disappeared, and they believed the Sioux were responsible. Afterward, the two sides met and there was a disagreement, and the Sioux asked the men to stay or to give more gifts (or tribute) instead, before being allowed to pass through their territory. Clark wrote they were "warlike" and were the "vilest miscreants of the savage race".<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] pp. 14–15</ref><ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.170"/><ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] pp. 27, 40</ref><ref>[[#Lavender|Lavender, 2001]] p. 181</ref> They came close to blows several times, until the Lakota chief, Black Buffalo, persuaded Lewis to distribute more tobacco to the assembled warriors. Lewis complied and the expedition was allowed to continue upstream to the [[Arikara]] villages.<ref name="Ronda">{{cite web |last1=Ronda |first1=James P. |title=Lakota Sioux Difficulties |url=https://lewis-clark.org/native-nations/siouan-peoples/lakotas/teton-sioux-difficulties/ |website=Lewis-Clark: Native American Tribes |date=June 9, 2021 |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref> 

In the winter of 1804–1805, the party built [[Fort Mandan]], near present-day [[Washburn, North Dakota]]. Just before departing on April 7, 1805, the expedition sent the [[keelboat]] back to St. Louis with a sample of specimens, some never-before-seen east of the Mississippi.{{sfn |Peters |1996 |pp=20–22}} One chief asked Lewis and Clark to provide a boat for passage through their national territory. The Americans quickly continued westward (upriver), and camped for the winter in the [[Mandan]] nation's territory.

After the expedition had set-up camp, nearby tribal members came to visit in fair numbers, some staying all night. For several days, Lewis and Clark met in council with Mandan chiefs. Here they met a French-Canadian fur trapper named [[Toussaint Charbonneau]], and his young [[Shoshone]] wife, [[Sacagawea]]. Charbonneau, at this time, began to serve as the expedition's translator. Peace was established between the expedition and the Mandan chiefs with the sharing of a Mandan [[ceremonial pipe]].<ref>[[#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]] p. 12</ref> By April 25, Captain Lewis wrote his progress report of the expedition's activities and observations of the Native American nations they had encountered to-date in ''A Statistical view of the Indian nations inhabiting the Territory of Louisiana'', which outlined the names of various tribes, their locations, trading practices and water routes used, among other points. President Jefferson would later present this report to Congress.<ref>[[#allen1|Allen, Lewis & Clark, Vol. 1, 1916]] pp. 81–82</ref>
[[File:Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flatheads in Ross Hole, September 4, 1805.jpg|thumb|Lewis and Clark meeting the [[Bitterroot Salish]] at Ross Hole, September 4, 1805]]
They followed the Missouri to its headwaters, and over the [[Continental Divide]] at [[Lemhi Pass]], then north to [[Traveler's Rest (Lolo, Montana)|Traveler's Rest]], and crossed the [[Bitterroot Range|Bitteroots]] at [[Lolo Pass (Idaho–Montana)|Lolo Pass]]. They descended on foot, then proceeded in canoes down the [[Clearwater River (Idaho)|Clearwater]], [[Snake River|Snake]], and Columbia rivers, past [[Celilo Falls]] and present-day [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], at the confluence of the [[Willamette River|Willamette]] and Columbia rivers. Lewis and Clark used [[William Robert Broughton]]'s 1792 notes and maps to orient themselves once they reached the lower Columbia River. The sighting of [[Mount Hood]] and other [[stratovolcano]]s confirmed that the expedition had almost reached the Pacific Ocean.<ref name="WoodgerToropov2009">{{cite book|author1=Elin Woodger|author2=Brandon Toropov|title=Encyclopedia of the Lewis and Clark Expedition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vYA0zDFy_IC&pg=PA244|access-date=August 28, 2013|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1023-3|pages=244–45}}</ref>

=== Pacific Ocean ===
[[File:Fort Clatsop replica 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Clatsop]] reconstruction on the Columbia River near the Pacific Ocean]]
The expedition sighted the Pacific Ocean for the first time on November 7, 1805, arriving two weeks later.<ref name=nps>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/lewi/learn/historyculture/index.htm|title=History & Culture – Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=nps.gov|access-date=June 23, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222123456/http://www.nps.gov/lewi/historyculture/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/journey_leg_13.html |title=Lewis and Clark, Journey Leg 13, 'Ocian in View!', October 8 – December 7, 1805 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |year=1996 |access-date=October 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927025708/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/journey_leg_13.html |archive-date=September 27, 2016 }}</ref> The expedition faced the beginning of its second bitter winter camped on the north side of the Columbia River, in a storm-wracked area Clark called [[Dismal Nitch]].<ref name=nps/> Lack of food was a major factor. The elk, the party's main source of food, had retreated from their usual haunts into the mountains, and the party was now too poor to purchase enough food from neighboring tribes.<ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.326">[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 326</ref> On November 24, 1805, the majority of the party voted to move their camp to the south side of the Columbia River near modern [[Astoria, Oregon]]. Both Sacagawea and the enslaved York participated in the vote.<ref>[[#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]] pp. 51–52</ref>

On the south side of the Columbia River, {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} upstream on the west side of the Netul River (now Lewis and Clark River), they constructed [[Fort Clatsop]].<ref name=nps/> They did this not just for shelter and protection, but also to officially establish the American presence there, with the American flag flying over the fort.<ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.170">[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 170</ref><ref>[[#Harris|Harris, Buckley, 2012]], p. 109</ref> During the winter at Fort Clatsop, Lewis committed himself to writing. He filled many pages of his journals with valuable knowledge, mostly about botany, because of the abundant growth and forests that covered that part of the continent.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 330</ref> The health of the men also became a problem, with many suffering from colds and influenza.<ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.326"/>

Knowing that [[maritime fur trade]]rs sometimes visited the lower Columbia River, Lewis and Clark repeatedly asked the local [[Chinookan peoples|Chinooks]] about trading ships. They learned that Captain [[Samuel Hill (sea captain)|Samuel Hill]] had been there in early 1805. Miscommunication caused Clark to record the name as "Haley". Captain Hill returned in November 1805, and anchored about {{convert|10|mi|km}} from Fort Clatsop. The Chinook told Hill about Lewis and Clark, but no direct contact was made.<ref name=Malloy2006>{{cite book |last= Malloy |first= Mary |title= Devil on the deep blue sea: The notorious career of Captain Samuel Hill of Boston |date= 2006 |publisher= Bullbrier Press |isbn= 978-0-9722854-1-4 |pages= 7, 46–49, 56, 63–64}}</ref>

A Russian maritime expedition under statesman [[Nikolai Rezanov]] arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River while Lewis and Clark were still there. Neither Rezanov nor Lewis and Clark knew about each other. Rezanov had come from ''Novo-Arkhangelsk'' (today [[Sitka, Alaska]]), intending to establish a Russian agricultural colony to help with the perennial food shortages in [[Russian America]], and made plans for a relocation of the capital of Russian America from Sitka to the lower Columbia River. But his ship, ''Juno'', was unable to cross the [[Columbia Bar]]. So Rezanov went to California instead, setting in motion a process that eventually led to the founding of [[Fort Ross, California]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Matthews |first= Owens |title= Glorious Misadventures: Nikolai Rezanov and the Dream of a Russian America |year=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn= 978-1620402412 |pages=254–257}}</ref>

=== Return trip ===
Lewis was determined to remain at the fort until April 1, but was still anxious to move out at the earliest opportunity. By March 22, the stormy weather had subsided and the following morning, on March 23, 1806, the journey home began. The Corps began their journey homeward using canoes to ascend the Columbia River, and later by trekking over land.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 334</ref><ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]] pp. 902–904</ref>

Before leaving, Clark gave the Chinook a letter to give to the next ship captain to visit, which was the same Captain Hill who had been nearby during the winter. Hill took the letter to [[Guangzhou|Canton]] and had it forwarded to Thomas Jefferson, who thus received it before Lewis and Clark returned.<ref name=Malloy2006/>

They made their way to [[Camp Chopunnish]]{{#tag:ref|'Chopunnish' was the Captain's term for the [[Nez Perce Pass]]|group="note"}} in Idaho, along the north bank of the Clearwater River, where the members of the expedition collected 65 horses in preparation to cross the [[Bitterroot Mountains]], lying between modern-day Idaho and western Montana. However, the range was still covered in snow, which prevented the expedition from making the crossing. On April 11, while the Corps was waiting for the snow to diminish, Lewis's dog, [[Seaman (dog)|Seaman]], was stolen by Native Americans, but was retrieved shortly. Worried that other such acts might follow, Lewis warned the chief that any other wrongdoing or mischievous acts would result in instant death.

On July 3, before crossing the Continental Divide, the Corps split into two teams so Lewis could explore the [[Marias River]]. Lewis's group of four met some men from the [[Blackfoot Confederacy|Blackfeet]] nation. During the night, the Blackfeet tried to steal their weapons. In the struggle, the soldiers killed two Blackfeet men. Lewis, [[George Drouillard]], and the Field brothers fled over {{convert|100|miles|km|abbr=off}} in a day before they camped again.

Meanwhile, Clark had entered the [[Crow tribe]]'s territory. In the night, half of Clark's horses disappeared, but not a single Crow had been seen. Lewis and Clark stayed separated until they reached the confluence of the [[Yellowstone River|Yellowstone]] and Missouri Rivers on August 11. As the groups reunited, one of Clark's hunters, Pierre Cruzatte, mistook Lewis for an elk and fired, injuring Lewis in the thigh.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/meriwether-lewis-is-shot-in-the-leg |title=Meriwether Lewis is shot in the leg |website=History |date=November 16, 2009 |publisher=A&E Television Networks |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-date=October 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015042245/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/meriwether-lewis-is-shot-in-the-leg |url-status=live }}</ref> Once together, the Corps was able to return home quickly via the Missouri River. They reached St. Louis on September 23, 1806.{{sfn |Peters |1996 |p=30}}

=== Spanish interference ===
In March 1804, before the expedition began in May, the Spanish in [[Santa Fe de Nuevo México|New Mexico]] learned from General [[James Wilkinson]]{{#tag:ref|After Wilkinson died in 1825, it was discovered that he was a spy for the Spanish crown.|group="note"}} that the Americans were encroaching on territory claimed by Spain. After the Lewis and Clark expedition set off in May, the Spanish sent four armed expeditions of 52 soldiers, mercenaries,{{explain|date=May 2021}} and Native Americans on August 1, 1804, from [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], New Mexico, northward under [[Pedro Vial]] and José Jarvet to intercept Lewis and Clark and imprison the entire expedition. They reached the Pawnee settlement on the [[Platte River]] in central Nebraska and learned that the expedition had been there many days before. Vial's attempt to intercept them was unsuccessful.<ref>[[#Uldrich|Uldrich, 2004]] p. 82</ref><ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 402</ref>

== Geography and science ==
{{Further|List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition}}

[[File:Map of Lewis and Clark's Track, Across the Western Portion of North America, published 1814.jpg|thumb|448px|Map of Lewis and Clark's expedition: It changed mapping of northwest America by providing the first accurate depiction of the relationship of the sources of the Columbia and Missouri Rivers, and the Rocky Mountains around 1814]]

The Lewis and Clark Expedition gained an understanding of the geography of the Northwest and produced the first accurate maps of the area. During the journey, Lewis and Clark drew about 140 maps. Stephen Ambrose says the expedition "filled in the main outlines" of the area.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 483</ref>

The expedition documented natural resources and plants that had been previously unknown to European Americans, though not to the indigenous peoples.<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 60</ref> Lewis and Clark were the first Americans to cross the Continental Divide, and the first Americans to see Yellowstone, enter into Montana, and produce an official description of these different regions.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 409</ref><ref>[[#Woodger|Woodger & Toropov, 2009]] p. 99</ref> Their visit to the Pacific Northwest, maps, and proclamations of sovereignty with medals and flags were legal steps needed to claim title to each indigenous nation's lands under the [[discovery doctrine]].<ref>[[#DeVoto1998|DeVoto, 1997]] p. 552</ref>

The expedition was sponsored by the [[American Philosophical Society]] (APS).<ref name="Woodger104-2">[[#Woodger'09|Woodger, Toropov, 2012]] p. 29</ref> Lewis and Clark received some instruction in [[astronomy]], [[botany]], [[climatology]], [[ethnology]], [[geography]], [[meteorology]], [[mineralogy]], [[ornithology]], and [[zoology]].<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 59</ref> During the expedition, they made contact with over 70 Native American tribes and described more than 200 new plant and animal species.<ref>[[#Uldrich|Uldrich, 2004]] p. 37</ref>

Jefferson had the expedition declare "sovereignty" and demonstrate their military strength to ensure native tribes would be subordinate to the U.S., as European colonizers did elsewhere. After the expedition, the maps that were produced allowed the further discovery and settlement of this vast territory in the years that followed.<ref>[[#Fresonke|Fresonke & Spence, 2004]] p. 70</ref><ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 88</ref>

In 1807, [[Patrick Gass]], a private in the U.S. Army, published an account of the journey. He was promoted to sergeant during the course of the expedition.<ref>[[#Gass|Gass & MacGregor, 1807]] pp. ''iv'', 3</ref> [[Paul Allen (editor)|Paul Allen]] edited a two-volume history of the Lewis and Clark expedition that was published in 1814, in [[Philadelphia]], but without mention of the actual author, banker [[Nicholas Biddle]].<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 479–480</ref> Even then, the complete report was not made public until more recently.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/journals/contents |title=Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition |website=University of Nebraska Lincoln |access-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530142058/https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/journals/contents |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest authorized edition of the Lewis and Clark journals resides in the [[Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library]] at the [[University of Montana]].

== Encounters with Native Americans ==
One of the expedition's primary objectives as directed by President Jefferson was to be a surveillance mission that would report back the whereabouts, military strength, lives, activities, and cultures of the various Native American tribes that inhabited the territory newly acquired by the United States as part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]] and the northwest in general. The expedition was to make native people understand that their lands now belonged to the United States and that "their great father" in Washington was now their sovereign.<ref>Pekka Hamalainen, ''Lakota America, a New History of Indigenous Power,'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019), pp. 129–131 {{ISBN?}}</ref> The expedition encountered many different native nations and tribes along the way, many of whom offered their assistance, providing the expedition with their knowledge of the wilderness and with the acquisition of food. The expedition had blank leather-bound journals and ink for the purpose of recording such encounters, as well as for scientific and geological information. They were also provided with various gifts of medals, ribbons, needles, mirrors, and other articles which were intended to ease any tensions when negotiating their passage with the various Native American chiefs whom they would encounter along their way.<ref name="Josephy">[[#Josephy2006|Josephy, 2006]] p. vi</ref><ref name="Allen, Lewis p.52">[[#allen1|Allen, Lewis & Clark, Vol. 1, 1916]] p. 52</ref><ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.169">[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 169</ref><ref name="Woodger pp.8, 337">[[#Woodger|Woodger & Toropov, 2009]] pp. 8, 337–338</ref>

Many of the tribes had friendly experiences with British and French fur traders in various isolated encounters along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, and for the most part the expedition did not encounter hostilities. However, there was a tense confrontation on September 25, 1804, with the Teton-[[Sioux]] tribe (also known as the [[Lakota people]], one of the three tribes that comprise the [[Great Sioux Nation]]), under chiefs that included Black Buffalo and the Partisan. These chiefs confronted the expedition and demanded tribute from the expedition for their passage over the river.<ref name="Josephy"/><ref name="Allen, Lewis p.52"/><ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.169"/><ref name="Woodger pp.8, 337"/> The seven native tribes that comprised the Lakota people controlled a vast inland empire and expected gifts from strangers who wished to navigate their rivers or to pass through their lands.<ref>Pekka Hamalainen, ''Lakota America, a New History of Indigenous Power,'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019), pp. 130–136 {{ISBN?}}</ref> According to Harry W. Fritz, "All earlier Missouri River travelers had warned of this powerful and aggressive tribe, determined to block free trade on the river. ... The Sioux were also expecting a retaliatory raid from the [[Omaha people|Omaha]] tribe, to the south. A recent Sioux raid had killed 75 Omaha men, burned 40 lodges, and taken four dozen prisoners."<ref>Harry W. Fritz (2004). "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=GFFHn18Z7ywC&pg=PA14 The Lewis and Clark Expedition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128072830/https://books.google.com/books?id=GFFHn18Z7ywC&pg=PA14 |date=January 28, 2024 }}''". Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 14. {{ISBN|0313316619}}</ref>

Captain Lewis made his first mistake by offering the Sioux chief gifts first, which insulted and angered the Partisan chief. Communication was difficult, since the expedition's only Sioux language interpreter was Pierre Dorion who had stayed behind with the other party and was also involved with diplomatic affairs with another tribe. Consequently, both chiefs were offered a few gifts, but neither was satisfied and they wanted some gifts for their warriors and tribe. At that point, some of the warriors from the Partisan tribe took hold of their boat and one of the oars. Lewis took a firm stand, ordering a display of force and presenting arms; Captain Clark brandished his sword and threatened violent reprisal. Just before the situation erupted into a violent confrontation, Black Buffalo ordered his warriors to back off.<ref name="Josephy"/><ref name="Allen, Lewis p.52"/><ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.169"/><ref name="Woodger pp.8, 337"/>

The captains were able to negotiate their passage without further incident with the aid of better gifts and a bottle of whiskey. During the next two days, the expedition made camp not far from Black Buffalo's tribe. Similar incidents occurred when they tried to leave, but trouble was averted with gifts of tobacco.<ref name="Josephy"/><ref name="Allen, Lewis p.52"/><ref name="Ambrose, 1996 p.169"/><ref name="Woodger pp.8, 337"/>

=== Observations ===
As the expedition encountered the various Native American tribes during the course of their journey, they observed and recorded information regarding their lifestyles, customs and the social codes they lived by, as directed by President Jefferson. By European standards, the Native American way of life seemed harsh and unforgiving as witnessed by members of the expedition. After many encounters and camping in close proximity to the Native American nations for extended periods of time during the winter months, they soon learned first hand of their customs and social orders.

One of the primary customs that distinguished Native American cultures from those of the West was that it was customary for the men to take on two or more wives if they were able to provide for them and often took on a wife or wives who were members of the immediate family circle, e.g. men in the [[Minnetaree]] {{#tag:ref|aka the ''Hidatsa''|group="note"}} and [[Mandan]] tribes would often take on a sister for a wife. Chastity among women was not held in high regard. Infant daughters were often sold by the father to men who were grown, usually for horses or mules.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} Women in Sioux nations were often bartered away for horses or other supplies; yet this was not practiced among the [[Shoshone]] nation, who held their women in higher regard.<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893-v2|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 2 pp. 557–558</ref>

They witnessed that many of the Native American nations were constantly at war with other tribes, especially the Sioux, who, while remaining generally friendly to the white fur traders, had proudly boasted of and justified the almost complete destruction of the once great [[Cahokia people|Cahokia]] nation, along with the Missouris, Illinois, [[Kaskaskia]], and Piorias tribes that lived about the countryside adjacent to the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers.<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1905|Lewis, Clark Floyd, Whitehouse, 1905]] p. 93</ref>

=== Sacagawea ===
{{Main|Sacagawea}}
[[File:Sakakawea-statue-bismarck-nd-2004.jpg|thumb|Statue of [[Sacagawea]], a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition]]

Sacagawea, sometimes spelled Sakajawea or Sakagawea ({{circa}} 1788{{snds}}December 20, 1812), was a Shoshone Native American woman who arrived with her husband and owner [[Toussaint Charbonneau]] on the expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

On February 11, 1805, a few weeks after her first contact with the expedition, Sacagawea went into labor which was slow and painful, so the Frenchman Charbonneau suggested she be given a potion of rattlesnake's rattle to aid in her delivery. Lewis happened to have some snake's rattle with him. A short time after administering the potion, she delivered a healthy boy who was given the name [[Jean Baptiste Charbonneau]].<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 1 p. 229</ref><ref>[[#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]] p. 15</ref>

When the expedition reached Marias River, on June 16, 1805, Sacagawea became dangerously ill. She was able to find some relief by drinking mineral water from the sulphur spring that fed into the river.<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 1 p. 377</ref>

Though she has been discussed in literature frequently, much of the information is exaggeration or fiction. Scholars say she did notice some geographical features, but "Sacagawea ... was not the guide for the Expedition, she was important to them as an interpreter and in other ways."<ref>[[#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]] p. 16</ref> The sight of a woman and her infant son would have been reassuring to some indigenous nations, and she played an important role in diplomatic relations by talking to chiefs, easing tensions, and giving the impression of a peaceful mission.<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] p. 19</ref><ref>[[#Clark|Clark & Edmonds, 1983]] pp. 16, 27</ref>

In his writings, Meriwether Lewis presented a somewhat negative view of her, though Clark had a higher regard for her, and provided some support for her children in subsequent years. In the journals, they used the terms "squar" ([[squaw]]) and "savages" to refer to Sacagawea and other indigenous peoples.<ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] pp. 258–259</ref>

== York ==
{{main|York (explorer)}}
An enslaved Black man known only as York took part in the expedition as personal servant to William Clark, his enslaver. York did much to help the expedition succeed. He proved popular with the Native Americans, who had never seen a Black man. He also helped with hunting and the heavy labor of pulling boats upstream. Despite his contributions to the Corps of Discovery, Clark refused to release York from bondage upon returning east.<ref name="smithmag">{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/york-explored-west-lewis-and-clark-his-freedom-wouldnt-come-until-decades-later-180968427/ |title=York Explored the West With Lewis and Clark, But His Freedom Wouldn't Come Until Decades Later |last=Parks |first=Shoshi |publisher=Smithsonian Magazine |date=March 8, 2018 |accessdate=September 24, 2023 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520143613/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/york-explored-west-lewis-and-clark-his-freedom-wouldnt-come-until-decades-later-180968427/ |url-status=live }}</ref> While all the other explorers enjoyed rewards of double pay and hundreds of acres of land, York received nothing.<ref name="nps1">{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/york.htm |title=York |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |date=September 11, 2018 |accessdate=September 24, 2023 |archive-date=August 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805161125/https://www.nps.gov/articles/york.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> After the end of the expedition, Clark allowed York only a brief visit to Kentucky to see his wife before forcing him to return to Missouri.<ref name="nps1" /> It is unlikely that he ever saw his wife again: "ten years after the expedition's end, York was still enslaved, working as a wagoner for the Clark family".<ref name="nps1" /><ref name="smithmag"/> The last years of York's life are disputed. In the 1830s, a Black man who said he had first come with Lewis and Clark was living as a chief with Native Americans they met on the expedition, in modern Wyoming.<ref name="nps1" />

== Accomplishments ==
The Corps met their objective of reaching the Pacific, mapping and establishing their presence for a legal claim to the land. They established diplomatic relations and trade with at least two dozen indigenous nations. They did not find a continuous waterway to the Pacific Ocean<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] pp. 33–35</ref> but located a Native American trail that led from the upper end of the Missouri River to the Columbia River which ran to the Pacific Ocean.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 352, 407</ref> They gained information about the natural habitat, flora and fauna, bringing back various plant, seed and mineral specimens. They mapped the topography of the land, designating the location of mountain ranges, rivers and the many Native American tribes during the course of their journey. They also learned and recorded much about the language and customs of the Native American tribes they encountered, and brought back many of their artifacts, including bows, clothing and ceremonial robes.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 204</ref>

== Aftermath ==
[[Image:Chief Shehaka.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of [[Mandan]] Chief [[Sheheke|Big White]], who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their return from the expedition]]
Two months passed after the expedition's end before Jefferson made his first public statement to Congress and others, giving a one-sentence summary about the success of the expedition before getting into the justification for the expenses involved. In the course of their journey, they acquired a knowledge of numerous tribes of Native Americans hitherto unknown; they informed themselves of the trade which may be carried on with them, the best channels and positions for it, and they are enabled to give with accuracy the geography of the line they pursued. Back east, the botanical and zoological discoveries drew the intense interest of the [[American Philosophical Society]] who requested specimens, various artifacts traded with the Native Americans, and reports on plants and wildlife along with various seeds obtained. Jefferson used seeds from "Missouri [[hominy]] corn" along with a number of other unidentified seeds to plant at Monticello which he cultivated and studied. He later reported on the "[[Indian corn]]" he had grown as being an "excellent" food source.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]], p. 418</ref> The expedition helped establish the U.S. presence in the newly acquired territory and beyond and opened the door to further exploration, trade and scientific discoveries.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]], p. 144</ref>

Lewis and Clark returned from their expedition, bringing with them the [[Mandan]] Native American [[Chief Shehaka]] from the Upper Missouri to visit the "Great Father" in Washington. After Chief Shehaka's visit, it required multiple attempts and multiple military expeditions to safely return Shehaka to his nation.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Upon the return from their expedition, Lewis and Clark struggled to prepare their manuscripts for publication. Clark managed to persuade [[Nicholas Biddle]] to edit the journals, which were then published in 1814 as the ''History of the Expedition Under the Commands of Captains Lewis and Clark''. However, Biddle's narrative account omitted much of the material related to their discoveries in flora and fauna. Since Biddle's account was the only printed account of the original journals for the next 90 years, many of Lewis and Clark's discoveries were later unknowingly rediscovered and given new names. It wasn't until 1904–1905, through the publication of ''Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition'' by [[Reuben Gold Thwaites]], that the general public became aware of the full extent of the scientific discoveries made by the expedition.{{r|Wood2011|p=381}}

During the 19th century, references to Lewis and Clark "scarcely appeared" in history books, even during the [[United States Centennial]] in 1876, and the expedition was largely forgotten.<ref name=ronda>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] pp. 327–328</ref><ref name="Fresonke159">[[#Fresonke|Fresonke & Spence, 2004]] pp. 159–162</ref> Lewis and Clark began to gain attention around the start of the 20th century. Both the 1904 [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] in St. Louis and the 1905 [[Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], showcased them as American pioneers. However, the story remained relatively shallow until mid-century as a celebration of US conquest and personal adventures, but more recently the expedition has been more thoroughly researched.<ref name=ronda/>

As of 1984, no US exploration party was more famous, and no American expedition leaders are more recognizable by name.<ref name="ronda" />{{failed verification|reason=Cited page does not exist; neither preface nor afterword of this book seem to support claim|date=July 2025}}

In 2004, a complete and reliable set of the expedition's journals was compiled by Gary E. Moulton.<ref>[[#Moulton|Moulton, 2004]]</ref><ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 480</ref><ref>[[#Saindon|Saindon, 2003]] pp. vi, 1040</ref> Circa 2004, the bicentennial of the expedition further elevated popular interest in Lewis and Clark.<ref name="Fresonke159" />

== Legacy and honors ==
In the 1970s, the federal government memorialized the winter assembly encampment, [[Camp Dubois]], as the start of the Lewis and Clark voyage of discovery and in 2019 it recognized [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]] as the start of the expedition.<ref name="TRIB-20190310">{{cite news|last=Bauder|first=Bob|title=Pittsburgh recognized as starting point for Lewis and Clark expedition|url=https://triblive.com/news/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-recognized-as-starting-point-for-lewis-and-clark-expedition/|date=March 10, 2019|work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]|access-date=March 10, 2019|archive-date=January 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128072836/https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-recognized-as-starting-point-for-lewis-and-clark-expedition/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the expedition, Lewis and Clark have been commemorated and honored over the years on various coins, currency, and commemorative postage stamps, as well as in a number of other capacities. In 2004, the American elm cultivar [[Ulmus americana 'Lewis & Clark'|''Ulmus americana'' 'Lewis & Clark']] (selling name {{tdes|Prairie Expedition|caps}}) was released by [[North Dakota State University]] Research Foundation in commemoration of the expedition's bicentenary;<ref>{{cite web | title=Ulmus americana 'Lewis & Clark' Prairie Expedition | website=Plant Finder | url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=437881 | access-date=August 15, 2021 | archive-date=August 15, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815140828/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=437881 | url-status=live }}</ref> the tree has a resistance to [[Dutch elm disease]].

[[Lewis and Clark County]], in Montana, as well as the [[Lewis and Clark River]] in Oregon are both named after the expedition's leaders.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gannett |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1905 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n184 185]}}</ref>

The [[Lewis and Clark Public School District]] in North Dakota is named after the pair.

North Dakota state [[North Dakota Highway 1804|Highways 1804]] and [[North Dakota Highway 1806|1806]] are named to reflect the years of Lewis and Clark's travels through the area, and together constitute the portion of the Lewis and Clark Trail that runs through the state.

Campsite Lewis and Clark in Camp Sandy Beach at [[Yawgoog Scout Reservation]] in [[Rockville, Rhode Island|Rockville]], [[Rhode Island]] also honors both explorers.

<gallery widths="260" mode="nolines">
<!-- Deleted image removed: File:Lewis & Clark stamp 2004.jpg|Lewis and Clark Expedition, 2004<br />200th Anniversary issue U.S. postage stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Expedition -->
File:Lewis and Clark 1954 Issue-3c.jpg|Lewis and Clark Expedition<br />150th anniversary issue, 1954
File:US-$10-LT-1901-Fr.114.jpg|Lewis and Clark were honored (along with the [[American bison]]) on the Series of 1901 $10 Legal Tender
File:Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Cape Disappointment.jpg|Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in [[Cape Disappointment State Park]]
File:Amer0145 (9715909375).jpg|Lewis and Clark statue (with [[Seaman (dog)]]) in [[St. Charles, Missouri]]
File:Lewis & Clark Mosaic image.png|Lewis and Clark Mosaic image in Missouri
File:Sergeant Floyd Monument, sunset.jpg|[[Sergeant Floyd Monument]] in Sioux City, Iowa is the first of 2,600 [[National Historic Landmark]]s in the United States
</gallery>

== Prior discoveries ==
{{See also|Timeline of European exploration|Exploration of North America}}

In 1682, [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]] traveled down the Mississippi from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. The French then established a chain of posts along the Mississippi from New Orleans to the Great Lakes. There followed a number of French explorers including [[Pedro Vial]] and [[Pierre Antoine and Paul Mallet]], among others. Vial may have preceded Lewis and Clark to Montana. In 1787, he gave a map of the upper Missouri River and locations of "territories transited by Pedro Vial" to Spanish authorities.<ref>[[#Loomis|Loomis & Nasatir 1967]] pp. 382–386, map: p. 290</ref>

Early in 1792, the American explorer [[Robert Gray (sea captain)|Robert Gray]], sailing in the ''[[Columbia Rediviva]]'', discovered the yet to be named [[Columbia River]], named it after his ship and claimed it for the United States. Later in 1792, the [[Vancouver Expedition]] had learned of Gray's discovery and used his maps. Vancouver's expedition explored over {{convert|100|mi|km}} up the Columbia, into the [[Columbia River Gorge]]. Lewis and Clark used the maps produced by these expeditions when they descended the lower Columbia to the Pacific coast.<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] p. 70, 91</ref><ref>[[#Woodger|Woodger, Toropov, 2009]] pp. 191, 351</ref>

From 1792 to 1793, [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]] had crossed North America from Quebec to the Pacific.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Mackenzie-Scottish-explorer|title=Sir Alexander Mackenzie &#124; Scottish explorer|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=June 23, 2020|archive-date=June 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615031156/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Mackenzie-Scottish-explorer|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Geography|Modern history|Science|United States}}

* ''[[The Far Horizons]]'', a 1955 film about the expedition
* [[Gateway Arch National Park]]
* [[Lewis and Clark Pass (Montana)]] – the only non-motorized pass on the expedition's route
* [[Lewis and Clark's Keelboat]]
* The [[Red River Expedition (1806)]] and the [[Pike Expedition]] were also commissioned by Jefferson
* [[James Kendall Hosmer]], American history professor and librarian who edited and published [[Nicholas Biddle]]'s account of Lewis and Clark's journal
* [[Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Wood2011">{{Cite book |last=Wood |first=Gordon S. |title=Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 |title-link=Oxford History of the United States |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-19-983246-0 |editor-last=Kennedy |editor-first=David M. |edition= |series=The Oxford History of the United States |location=New York, NY |language=en |author-link=Gordon S. Wood}}</ref>
}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=Paul |title=History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol I |publisher=Toronto: George N. Morang & Co. Ltd. |year=1902 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofexpedit01lewi/page/n9 |ref=allen1}}
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=Paul |title=History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol II |author-mask=2 |publisher=Toronto:George N. Morang & Co. Ltd. |year=1902 |url=https://archive.org/details/expeditionoflew02lewiuoft/page/n8 |ref=allen2}}
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=Paul |title=History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol III |author-mask=2 |publisher=Toronto: George N. Morang & Co. Ltd. |year=1902 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofexpedit03lewiuoft/page/i |ref=allen3}}
* {{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Stephen E. |title=Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West |ref=Ambrose |author-link=Stephen E. Ambrose |publisher=New York: Simon and Schuster |year=1996 |page=[https://archive.org/details/undauntedcourage00ambr/page/511 511] |isbn=9780684811079 |url=https://archive.org/details/undauntedcourage00ambr|url-access=registration }}<!--<ref>[[#Ambrose|Ambrose, 1996]] pp. 90–91</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Bennett |first=George D. |title=The United States Army: Issues, Background and Bibliography |ref=Bennett |publisher=Nova Publishers |year=2002 |page=229 |isbn=9781590333006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SNFnyDbT1fkC}}<!--<ref>[[#Bennett|Bennett, 2002]] pp. 90–91</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Bergon |first=Frank |title=The Journals of Lewis and Clark |author-link=Frank Bergon |publisher=Penguin Classics|location=New York |year=1989 |isbn=0142437360 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qmd-h0gsf5EC}}<!--<ref>[[#Bergon|Bergon, 1989p]]. 16</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Ella E. |last2=Edmonds |first2=Margot |ref=Clark |title=Sacagawea of the Lewis and Clark Expedition |publisher=University of California Press |year=1983 |page=184 |isbn=9780520050600 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ww4TY5N7GHkC}} <!--<ref> -->
* Cutright, Paul Russel (1969). ''Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists.'' University of Nebraska Press. {{ISBN?}}
* {{cite book |last=Cutright |first=Paul Russell |title=Contributions of Philadelphia to Lewis and Clark History |ref=Cutright |year=2000 |page=47 |publisher=Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8qKGQAACAAJ|isbn=9780967888705 }} <!--<ref>[[#Cutright|Cutright, 2000]] pp. 90–91</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=DeVoto |first=Bernard Augustine |ref=DeVoto | title=The Journals of Lewis and Clark |author-link=Bernard DeVoto |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Co. |date=1997 |orig-year=1953 |isbn= 0-395-08380-X |page=504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Vp2-feRyGkC}} <!--<ref>[[#DeVoto|DeVoto, 1997]] p.16</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=DeVoto |first=Bernard Augustine |title=The Course of Empire |author-mask=2 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=1998 |page=647 |ref=DeVoto1998 |isbn=9780395924983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F5Nx4hETrnAC}} <!--<ref>[[DeVoto1998||DeVoto, 1998]] pp.xx–yy</ref> -->
* {{cite journal |last1=Fenelon|first1=James |first2=Mary Louise |last2=Defender-Wilson |title=Voyage of Domination, 'Purchase' as Conquest, Sakakawea for Savagery: Distorted Icons from Misrepresentations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition |journal=Wíčazo Ša Review |volume=19 |issue=1 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |ref=Fenelon |year=1985 |pages=Wíčazo Ša Review, 85–104 |jstor=1409488|doi=10.1353/wic.2004.0006 |s2cid=147041160 }}<!--<ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Fresonke |first1=Kris |last2=Spence |first2=Mark |title=Lewis and Clark |publisher=University of California Press |ref=Fresonke |year=2004 |page=290 |isbn=9780520228399 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8s7GQG8jiUC}} <!--<ref name="Fresonke159" /> -->
* {{cite book |last=Fritz |first=Harry W. |title=The Lewis and Clark Expedition |ref=Fritz |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=[https://archive.org/details/lewisclarkexpedi00frit/page/143 143] |isbn=978-0-313-31661-6 |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/lewisclarkexpedi00frit|url-access=registration }} <!--<ref>[[#Fritz|Fritz, 2004]] pp. 90–91</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Furtwangler |first=Albert |title=Acts of discovery: visions of America in the Lewis and Clark journals |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-06306-0 |year=1993 |url=https://archive.org/details/actsofdiscoveryv00albe|url-access=registration }} <!--<ref> -->
* {{cite book |first1=Patrick |last1=Gass |first2=Carol Lynn |last2= MacGregor |title=The Journals of Patrick Gass: Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition |ref=Gass |author-link=Patrick Gass |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing |year=1807 |page=447 |isbn=9780878423514 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CfRsChvapM0C}} <!--<ref>[[#Gass|Gass & MacGregor, 1807]] pp. 90–91</ref> -->
* {{cite journal |last=Gray |first=Edward |title=Visions of Another Empire: John Ledyard, an American Traveler across the Russian Empire, 1787–1788 |journal=Journal of the Early Republic |ref=Gray |year=2004 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |jstor=4141438 |volume=24 |issue=3|pages=347–380 }} <!--<ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=Matthew L. |last2=Buckley |first2=Jay H. |year=2012 |title=Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=9780806188317 |ref=Harris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Txq4Oh2NjTQC}}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Alvin M. Jr. |editor1-last=Josephy | editor1-link =Alvin M. Josephy Jr.|editor2-first=Jaffe |editor2-last=Marc |title=Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes |ref=Josephy2006 |publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |year=2006 |page=196 |isbn=9781400042678 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVM-LpBDh8MC}} <!-- [[#Josephy2006|Joesphy, 2006]] pp.xx-xy</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Donald |title=Thomas Jefferson & the Stony Mountains: Exploring the West from Monticello |author-link=Donald Dean Jackson |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1993 |orig-year=1981 |isbn= 978-0-8061-2504-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HrigCEIBR6kC |ref=jackson81}}
* {{cite book |last=Kleber |first=John |title=The Encyclopedia of Louisville |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |ref=Kleber |year=2001 |page=509 |isbn=978-0-8131-2100-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pXbYITw4ZesC}} <!--<ref name=autogenerated2 /> -->
* {{cite book |last=Lavender |first=David Sievert |title=The Way to the Western Sea: Lewis and Clark Across the Continent |ref=Lavender |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2001 |page=444 |isbn=9780803280038 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=td82Jc3fbMoC}} <!--<ref name="Lavender32" />-->
* {{cite book |last1=Loomis |first1=Noel M | author-link =Noel Loomis|last2=Nasatir |first2=Abraham P | author2-link =Abraham Nasatir|ref=Loomis |title=Pedro Vial and the Roads to Santa Fe |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1967 |isbn=9780806111100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nPRFHgAACAAJ}} <!--<ref>[[#Loomis|Loomis & Nasatir 1967]] pp. 382–386, map following p. 290</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Miller |first=Robert J. Miller |title=Native America, Discovered And Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, And Manifest Destiny |ref=Miller |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |page=240 |isbn=9780275990114 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ccnP7tWU7hwC}} <!--<ref> -->
* {{cite book | last = Peters | first = Arthur K. | title = Seven trail west | publisher = Abbeville Press | year = 1996 | isbn = 1-55859-782-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/seventrailswest00pete }}
* {{cite book |last=Rodriguez |first=Junius |title=The Louisiana Purchase: a historical and geographical encyclopedia |page=513 |ref=Rodriguez |publisher=ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-57607-188-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qs7GAwwdzyQC}} <!--<ref>[[#Rodriguez|Rodriguez, 2002]] p. xxiv </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Ronda |first=James P. |title=Lewis & Clark among the Indians |ref=Ronda |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |page=310 |year=1984 |isbn=9780803289901 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cz4ts0fCDssC}}
<!--<ref>[[#Ronda|Ronda, 1984]] p. 32 </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Saindon |first=Robert A. |title=Explorations Into the World of Lewis and Clark, Vol. 3 |ref=Saindon |year=2003 |page=528 |publisher=Digital Scanning Inc. |isbn=9781582187655 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_4lgD456ZgC}} <!--<ref>[[#Saindon|Saindon, 2003]] p. 108</ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Schwantes |first=Carlos |title=The Pacific Northwest: an interpretive history |ref=Schwantes |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |page=568 |isbn=978-0-8032-9228-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JImlIbueaXcC|year=1996 }} <!--<ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Uldrich |first=Jack |title=Into the unknown: leadership lessons from Lewis & Clark's daring westward adventure |ref=Uldrich |year=2004 |publisher=AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. |page=245 |isbn=0-8144-0816-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RRuKF35bPJ0C}} <!--<ref>[[#Uldrich|Uldrich, 2004]] p. 37 </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Woodger |first1=Elin |last2=Toropov |first2=Brandon |title=Encyclopedia of the Lewis and Clark Expedition |ref=Woodger |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2009 |page=438 |isbn=978-0-8160-4781-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vYA0zDFy_IC}}
<!--<ref>[[#Woodger|Woodger, Toropov, 2009]] pp. xx </ref> -->

=== Primary sources ===
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Meriwether |last2=Clark |first2=William |title=The Journals Of Lewis And Clark |ref=L&CJournals |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |year=2004 |page=312 |isbn=9781419167997 }} [https://archive.org/details/originaljournals12lewi E'books], [https://web.archive.org/web/20191024191940/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/journals/toc.html Full view] <!--<ref>[[#L&CJournals|Lewis & Clark, Journals, 2004]] pp. xx–yy </ref> -->{{Full citation needed|date=November 2014|reason=Linked material does not match the description in the citation}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Meriwether |last2=Clark |first2=William |last3=Floyd |first3=Charles |last4=Whitehouse |first4=Joseph |title=Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804–1806, Vol. 6 |ref=Lewis&Clark1905 |publisher=Dodd, Mead & Co. |location=New York |year=1905 |page=280 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=64MjAQAAIAAJ}}<!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1905|Lewis, Clark Floyd, Whitehouse, 1905]] pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Meriwether |last2=Clark |first2=William |editor1-first=Frank |editor1-last=Bergon |ref=Bergon |title=The Journals of Lewis & Clark |publisher=Penguin |year=2003 |page=560 |isbn=9780142437360 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qmd-h0gsf5EC}} <!--<ref> -->
* Lewis, Meriwether (1811). ''The Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke, from St. Louis, by way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, to the Paciﬁc Ocean; performed in the Years 1804, 1805, and 1806.'' By Order of the Government of the United States; containing Delineations of the Manners, Customs, Religion, &c. of the Indians; compiled from various authentic Sources and original Documents; and a summary of the Statistical View of the Indian Nations, from the official communication of Meriwether Lewis. In 8vo. illustrated with a Map of the Country inhabited by the Tribes of Western Indians. ("This is an interesting volume, and exhibits not only some valuable geographical notices, but very copious and amusing details respecting the manners, habits, and divisions of the India North America Tribes.") [https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=qrv&datum=18110105&query=(text:%22THE+TRAVELS+of+CAP%27I%e2%80%98A+INS+LEWIS+and+CLARK+E%22)&ref=anno-search&seite=274 Modern Publications, and New Editions of Valuable Standard Works]. In: ''The Quarterly Review'', February 1811, p. 2.
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Meriwether |last2=Clark |first2=William | title=Travels to the source of the Missouri river and across the American continent to the Pacific ocean. Performed by order of the government of the United States, in the years 1804, 1805, and 1806. By Captains Lewis and Clarke. Published from the official report, and illustrated by a map of the route, and other maps | location=London | publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown | year=1815 | url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001874908}}
** {{cite journal|title=Review of ''Travels to the Source of the Missouri River ... ''|journal=The Quarterly Review|date=January 1815|volume=12|pages=317–368|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c005373356;view=1up;seq=327}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=William |last2=Clark |first2=Clark |editor=Hosmer, James Kendall |editor-link=James Kendall Hosmer |title=History of the Expedition of Captain Lewis and Clark, 1804–5–6, Volume 1 |ref=Lewis&Clark1903 |author-link=James Kendall Hosmer |publisher=A.C. McClurg & Co.|location =Chicago |year=1903 |page=500 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0vYMAAAAIAAJ}}<!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1903|M.Lewis & W.Clark, 1903]] p.1 </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Coues|first1=Elliott |last2=Lewis|first2=Meriwether |last3=Clark |first3=William |last4=Jefferson|first4=Thomas |title=History of the expedition under the command of Lewis and Clark: Vol. 1 |ref=Lewis&Clark1893-v1 |publisher=Francis P. Harper|location=New York |year=1893 |page=1364 |isbn=9780665562136 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyexpediti01jeffgoog}}
<!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893-v1|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 1 pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Coues|first1=Elliott |last2=Lewis|first2=Meriwether |last3=Clark |first3=William |last4=Jefferson|first4=Thomas |title=History of the expedition under the command of Lewis and Clark: Volume 2 |ref=Lewis&Clark1893-v2 |author-mask=2 |publisher=Francis P. Harper| location =New York |year=1893 |page=1364 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIrRAAAAMAAJ}} <!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893-v2|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 2 pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Coues|first1=Elliott |last2=Lewis|first2=Meriwether |last3=Clark |first3=William |last4=Jefferson|first4=Thomas |title=History of the expedition under the command of Lewis and Clark: Vol. 3 |author-mask=2 |ref=Lewis&Clark1893-v3 |author-link=Elliott Coues |publisher=Francis P. Harper, New York |year=1893 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyexpediti00jeffgoog/page/n486 1298] |url=https://archive.org/details/historyexpediti00jeffgoog}} <!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893-v3|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 3 pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Coues|first1=Elliott |last2=Lewis|first2=Meriwether |last3=Clark |first3=William |last4=Jefferson|first4=Thomas |title=History of the expedition under the command of Lewis and Clark: Vol. 4 |author-mask=2 |ref=Lewis&Clark1893-v4 |author-link=Elliott Coues |publisher=Francis P. Harper|location=New York |year=1893 |page=1298 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyexpediti02jeffgoog}} <!--<ref>[[#Lewis&Clark1893-v4|Coues, Lewis, Clark, Jefferson 1893]], Vol. 3 pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Donald Dean |title=Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: with related documents, 1783–1854 |ref=Jackson1962 |publisher=University of Illinois Press (Original from the University of Virginia) |year=1962 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lettersoflewiscl0000jack/page/728 728] |url=https://archive.org/details/lettersoflewiscl0000jack|url-access=registration }} <!--<ref>[[#Jackson1962|Jackson, 1962]] pp.xx–yy </ref> -->
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Meriwether |last2=Clark |first2=William |editor1-first=Gary E. |editor1-last=Moulton |title=The Definitive Journals of Lewis & Clark |ref=Moulton |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2004 |page=357 |isbn=9780803280328 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMKbBl2xHd8C}} <!--<ref>[[#Moulton|Moulton, 2004]] pp.xx–yy </ref> -->

== Further reading ==
{{main|Bibliography of the Lewis and Clark Expedition}}
* {{cite book | title=Undaunted Courage, Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West | url=https://archive.org/details/undauntedcourage00ambr | url-access=registration | author=Steven E. Ambrose | publisher=Simon and Schuster Paperbacks|year=1996 | isbn=9780684826974 }}
* {{cite book | title=A Navigation Companion for the Lewis & Clark Trail. Vol. 1, History, camp locations and daily summaries of expedition activities | publisher=John H. Bassman |last=Bassman |first=John H. | year=2009}}
* {{cite book |last=Betts |first=Robert B. |title=In Search of York: The Slave Who Went to the Pacific With Lewis and Clark |year=2002 |publisher=University Press of Colorado |isbn=0-87081-714-0}}
* {{cite book |title=The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804–1806|first1=William|last1=Clark|first2=Meriwether|last2=Lewis |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8419}}
* {{cite book |last=Burns |first=Ken |title=Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery |author-link=Ken Burns |year=1997 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-679-45450-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Fenster |first=Julie M. |title=Jefferson's America: The President, the Purchase, and the Explorers Who Transformed a Nation |publisher=Crown/Archetype |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-3079-5654-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3s9fCgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Hayes |first=Derek |title=Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of Exploration and Discovery: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Yukon |ref=Hayes |publisher=Sasquatch Books |year=1999 |page=208 |isbn=978-1570612152 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sl57oHrVXGoC}}
* {{cite book|author=Gen. Thomas James|title=Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans|date=February 11, 2018|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1985208711}}
* {{cite book |last=Gilman |first=Carolyn |title=Lewis and Clark: Across the Divide |year=2003 |publisher=Smithsonian Books |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-1588340993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qbZ7QgAACAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Schmidt |first=Thomas |title=National Geographic Guide to the Lewis & Clark Trail |year=2002 |publisher=National Geographic |isbn=0-7922-6471-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/lewisclarktrail0000schm }}
* {{cite book |last=Tubbs |first=Stephenie Ambrose |date=2008 |title=Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day Off and Other Lessons from the Lewis and Clark Trail |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |url=http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Why-Sacagawea-Deserves-the-Day-Off-and-Other-Lesso,673973.aspx |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |access-date=September 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306041100/http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Why-Sacagawea-Deserves-the-Day-Off-and-Other-Lesso,673973.aspx |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Olin Dunbar |author-link=Olin Dunbar Wheeler |title=The Trail of Lewis and Clark, 1804–1904: A Story of the Great Exploration Across the Continent in 1804–6 |ref=Wheeler |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |location=New York |year=1904 |page=[https://archive.org/details/traillewisandcl00goog/page/n38 377] |url=https://archive.org/details/traillewisandcl00goog}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|collapsible=true|c=Category:Lewis and Clark Expedition|wikt=no|d=Q505802|voy=Lewis and Clark Expedition|species=no}}
* [https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/ Full text of the Lewis and Clark journals online – edited by Gary E. Moulton, University of Nebraska–Lincoln]
* {{cite web |url=http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/?_xmlsrc=lc.img.corpus.03.xml&_xslsrc=LCstyles.xsl |title=National Archives photos dating from the 1860s–1890s of the Native cultures the expedition encountered |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212142331/http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/images2.html |archive-date=February 12, 2008}}
* [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travellewisandclark/index.htm Travel the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
* [https://www.loc.gov/item/rc01001477 "History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark: To the Sources of the Missouri, thence Across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean"] published in 1814; from the [[World Digital Library]]
* [https://lewis-clark.org/ Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation: Discover Lewis & Clark]
* [http://lcatlas.lclark.edu/ Corps of Discovery Online Atlas, created by Watzek Library, Lewis & Clark College]
* [[hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.clark|Lewis and Clark Expedition Maps and Receipt]]. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
* [[hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.field|William Clark Field Notes]]. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
* [[hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.starrl|Louis Starr Collection Concerning the Field Notes of William Clark.]] Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

{{Thomas Jefferson}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis And Clark Expedition}}
[[Category:Lewis and Clark Expedition| ]]
[[Category:1800s in the United States]]
[[Category:1804 in the United States]]
[[Category:1805 in the United States]]
[[Category:1806 in the United States]]
[[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
[[Category:Exploration of North America]]
[[Category:History of Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:History of Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:History of Missoula, Montana]]
[[Category:History of St. Louis]]
[[Category:History of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:History of the Pacific Northwest]]
[[Category:History of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:History of United States expansionism]]
[[Category:Louisiana Purchase]]
[[Category:Military expeditions of the United States]]
[[Category:Missouri River]]
[[Category:North American expeditions]]
[[Category:Presidency of Thomas Jefferson]]
[[Category:Scientific expeditions]]