52 Articles
Research Articles
Scholarly articles and interpretive essays exploring the Lewis and Clark Expedition, its participants, and its lasting significance.
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After the Expedition: Francois Rivet
Teaser: Francois Rivet had a long life before and after his time with the Corps of Discovery. Marked by joy and sadness, momentous events in the life of Francois Rivet were found in the records of his Catholic parish. After the Expedition – Francois Rivet Born circa 1757 in Montreal, Canada,...
Alfred Jacob Miller and The Bombardment of Fort McHenry
The story of Alfred Jacob Miller, the eighteen-year-old Baltimore artist who painted the quintessential image of the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814, and later traveled west to paint the landscapes and Native Americans of the Rocky Mountains.
Chain of Communication
Communication on the Lewis and Clark Expedition required a complex chain of translation that at times consisted of five or more people. Each person involved in these translations was vital, especially as there were times when the expedition relied on the aid or goodwill of the Native Americans with...
Company Commanders to Bureaucratic Administrators: Lewis & Clark After the Expedition
The post-expedition years of Lewis and Clark, from celebrated explorers to territorial administrators. Covers Lewis's governorship of Upper Louisiana, Clark's military career, their accomplishments in St. Louis, and Lewis's tragic death in 1809.
Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future
An overview of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration (2003-2006) and its emphasis on including Native American perspectives in telling the expedition's story.
Faith of the Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Journals revealed much about the expedition and the events surrounding their voyage. However, one entry by Private Joseph Whitehouse revealed something about the men themselves as they started their journey. On a rainy May 20, 1804, Clark gave permission for 20 members of the...
Fort Kaskaskia
Lewis and Clark recruited 11 men from the garrison at Ft. Kaskaskia, which resides in Randolph County, Illinois. According to the Illinois State Museum, archeologists at the Southern Illinois University recently uncovered previously unknown remains of the American Fort Kaskaskia, which is...
Fort Manuel: Its Historical Significance and the Death of Sacagawea
Irving W. Anderson's definitive scholarly analysis proving that Sacagawea died at Fort Manuel on the Missouri River on December 20, 1812, contradicting the long-held theory that she lived until 1884 in Wyoming. Based on primary sources including the Luttig journal and William Clark's own records.
French Opinion of American Society in Early 19th Century
The French have been one of America’s strongest allies since the days of the Revolutionary War. Considering the French population in America was quite large by the early 19th century when Lewis and Clark were starting their expedition, it’s only natural that the French — Canadian settlers and...
French Opinion of the American Economy in Early 19th Century
By the early 18th century, the economic relationship between the United States and France, was close enough that France sold the US 530 million acres of land through the Louisiana Purchase. That was one of the reasons that Lewis and Clark were sent West — to explore all the new land purchased from...
George Drouillard
Aside from the Captains, George Drouillard contributed more to the success of the expedition than perhaps any other single member. From his earlier life, to accounts of his vital contributions to the expedition, to his brief lifetime following the return to St Louis, it is possible to follow his...
George Drouillard: Hunter and Interpreter for Lewis and Clark
A biographical study of George Drouillard, the half-French, half-Shawnee frontiersman who served as the expedition's principal hunter and sign-language interpreter.
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau: Son of Sacagawea
Teaser: After the Lewis and Clark Expedition, led a life fraught with adventure. After the expedition and being taken in by Captain Clark, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau traveled to Europe and returned to the U.S. in 1829. Further adventure and admiration awaited his return. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau –...
Jefferson's Instructions to Meriwether Lewis
A detailed analysis of President Thomas Jefferson's famous letter of instructions to Meriwether Lewis, examining the political, scientific, and commercial objectives of the expedition.
John Colter: His Years in the Rocky Mountains
A biographical study of John Colter, the expedition member who became one of the first mountain men, including his discovery of the Yellowstone region and his famous escape from the Blackfeet.
Joseph Gravelines
Joseph Gravelines is mentioned several times in Clark’s journal. While he had been living with the Arikaras since around 1790 (DeMallie et al.), on October 8, 1804, Clark complemented Gravelines as a ‘man well versed in the language of the nation,’ referring to the Arikaras. Gravelines then briefed...
Joseph LaLiberte: Deserter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Teaser: Despite only a brief mention in the Lewis and Clark journals, LaLiberté’s departure from the expedition demonstrates another facet of the challenge that the Corps of Discovery faced during their western trek. Joseph LaLiberté – Deserter One of the more obscure individuals mentioned in the...
Lewis and Clark and the Route to the Pacific
A foundational study of the geographical imagination that shaped the Lewis and Clark Expedition, examining how pre-expedition assumptions about western geography influenced the journey's planning and execution.
Lewis and Clark and the Sioux: Diplomacy on the Missouri
An analysis of the diplomatic encounters between the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the various Sioux divisions along the Missouri River, with emphasis on the tense confrontation with the Teton Sioux.
Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History
A comprehensive study of the wildlife and ecosystems encountered by Lewis and Clark during their passage through the Great Plains, correlating journal entries with modern biological knowledge.
Lewis and Clark: Linguistic Pioneers
A linguistic analysis of the vocabulary, spelling conventions, and word coinages found in the Lewis and Clark journals, documenting early American English on the frontier.
Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists
An analysis of the scientific contributions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, documenting the hundreds of plant and animal species first described by the explorers and their methods of natural history observation.
Lewis and Clark: The Maps of Exploration, 1507-1814
A comprehensive survey of the cartographic history of western North America as it relates to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, from early European maps through Clark's master map.
Meriwether Lewis' Formative Years: Learning Experiences in Georgia
An examination of Meriwether Lewis' early years through family letters preserved at the Missouri Historical Society, revealing that young Lewis only visited Georgia rather than residing there, and documenting the educational foundation that shaped the future explorer.
Meriwether Lewis's Personal Finances
A detailed investigation of Meriwether Lewis's financial affairs, revealing the monetary pressures and debts that plagued him during his service as Governor of Louisiana Territory.
Paul Primeau
Teaser: While little is known about Paul Primeau, glimpses of him are found in other records. Interestingly, Primeau’s story continues after his death, and there is considerable confusion regarding his final resting place. Paul Primeau Paul Primeau was mentioned little in the journals of Lewis and...
Preparing for the Expedition: Lewis's Philadelphia Education
An account of Meriwether Lewis's intensive scientific education in Philadelphia before the expedition, where he studied botany, zoology, astronomy, and medicine with leading American scientists.
Prologue to Lewis and Clark: The Mackay and Evans Expedition
An examination of the 1795-1797 Mackay-Evans expedition up the Missouri River, whose maps and intelligence were essential to Lewis and Clark's planning.
Sacagawea: A Historical Enigma
An examination of the historical evidence surrounding Sacagawea, separating documented facts from myths and evaluating competing claims about her life and death.
Seaman: The Dog That Went to the Pacific
A compilation and analysis of all journal references to Seaman, Meriwether Lewis's Newfoundland dog, who accompanied the expedition from Pittsburgh to the Pacific and back.
Sergeant Charles Floyd's Death: Was It Really Appendicitis?
A medical analysis of the symptoms and circumstances surrounding the death of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die during the expedition.
Ste. Genevieve: A French Colonial Town on the Lewis and Clark Trail
Ste. Genevieve was named for the patron saint of Paris, who lived during the 5th century AD. Interestingly, in the 17th and 18th centuries, around the time that explorers were settling the area, Sainte Genevieve figured largely in the minds of the French. Houck (1908) noted that all the French...
The Air Gun of Lewis and Clark
A study of the Girandoni air rifle carried by Lewis during the expedition, examining its technical capabilities and its role in diplomatic demonstrations with Native nations.
The Arikara War of 1823 and the Fur Trade
An analysis of the 1823 Arikara conflict, which involved several former members of the Corps of Discovery and demonstrated the lasting consequences of Lewis and Clark's diplomacy.
The Baltimore Connection: Lewis & Clark's Curiosities
The untold story of how Lewis and Clark's scientific specimens traveled 4,500 miles from Fort Mandan to Baltimore aboard the ship Comet in 1805, passing through Fort McHenry and Fell's Point before reaching President Jefferson at the White House.
The Bitterroot Crossing: The Most Perilous Passage
A narrative and analytical account of the expedition's harrowing September 1805 crossing of the Bitterroot Mountains along the Lolo Trail, considered the most dangerous segment of the entire journey.
The Botany of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
A catalog and analysis of the botanical specimens collected during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, many of which are still preserved at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
The Chinook People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
An ethnohistorical study of the Lower Chinook peoples encountered by Lewis and Clark at the mouth of the Columbia River, examining their trading culture and the impact of early contact.
The Court-Martial of Ensign Meriwether Lewis
An examination of the little-known 1795 court-martial of the young Meriwether Lewis during his early military career, providing context for understanding his temperament and character.
The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation
A forensic scientist's examination of the evidence surrounding the death of Meriwether Lewis at Grinder's Stand on the Natchez Trace, evaluating suicide versus murder theories.
The Expedition's Firearms: Weapons of the Corps of Discovery
A detailed inventory and analysis of the firearms carried by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including the Model 1803 rifles, muskets, pistols, and the Girandoni air rifle.
The Experiment on the Missouri: The Keelboat and Lewis and Clark
A detailed study of the keelboat used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition on the Missouri River, examining its design, construction, and critical role in transporting the expedition's supplies.
The Journals of Patrick Gass: A New Edition
A scholarly analysis of Patrick Gass's expedition journal, the first published account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, examining its significance and the history of its publication.
The Mandan and Hidatsa on the Upper Missouri: An Archaeological and Historical Analysis
A combined archaeological and historical study of the Mandan and Hidatsa villages along the upper Missouri River that served as the expedition's winter quarters in 1804-1805.
The Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
A Nez Perce perspective on the arrival and stay of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in Nez Perce territory, incorporating tribal oral histories and cultural context.
The Odyssey of Toussaint Charbonneau
A comprehensive biographical study of Toussaint Charbonneau, the French-Canadian interpreter who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, tracing his life from the fur trade through his years with Sacagawea and beyond.
The Problem of Indian History: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and Native Americans
A landmark reconsideration of the expedition from a Native American perspective, challenging Eurocentric interpretations and centering indigenous agency in the story.
The Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
A tribal perspective on the Lewis and Clark Expedition's encounter with the Flathead Salish people in September 1805, presenting oral traditions and alternative interpretations of the meeting.
Thomas Jefferson and the Changing West
An exploration of Thomas Jefferson's evolving vision for the American West and how the Lewis and Clark Expedition both fulfilled and complicated that vision.
William Clark: Mapmaker
An analysis of William Clark's cartographic skills and contributions, examining his field maps, celestial observations, and the great master map he produced after the expedition.
William Clark's Indian Museum
An examination of William Clark's post-expedition collection of Native American artifacts and natural history specimens displayed at his Council Chamber in St. Louis.
York of the Corps of Discovery
A groundbreaking study of York, the enslaved African American who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, examining his contributions, treatment, and the contested accounts of his later life.
