Day-by-Day with Lewis & Clark

March 18, 1803

The smallpox vaccine

Cambridge, MA Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse sends Thomas Jefferson his latest book on the smallpox vaccine which includes letters to and from Jefferson about the subject.

March 18, 1804

Questions about Indian amusements

Wood River Camp, IL The day reaches 50° for the first time this year—a signal that the expedition may soon be able to head up the Missouri River. During this period, Clark lists questions about Indian amusements.

March 18, 1805

Dividing the merchandise

Fort Mandan, ND The Indian presents are divided into eight packages, one for each boat that will be taken up the Missouri. Charbonneau officially enlists as an interpreter.

March 18, 1806

Stealing a canoe

Fort Clatsop, OR After stealing a canoe, soldiers hide it near the fort. The captains write a short description of the expedition with the names of each member, and they distribute copies among the Indians.

Latest Additions

    Clark, York, and Slavery

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    The mistake should never be made that the two men were friends. They were master and slave, owner and property, superior and inferior. As close as that relationship was for the many years and countless miles they were by each other’s side, for all the dangers and hardships they shared their relationship always was based on William as master and York as servant.

     

    Building the Barge

    Was it Jacob Myers?

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    Valuable reevaluation of the evidence has accumulated about the building of the Lewis and Clark barge some two hundred years ago. Much of this evidence supports the conclusion that Jacob Myers was the principal builder.

     

    Steve Ludeman

    Watercolors and sketches

    Steve Ludeman’s watercolors illustrate the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s beginnings from the Eastern seaboard, down the Ohio, and up the Mississippi on their way to winter camp at River Dubois (Wood River) across from St. Louis.

     

The Trail

map with text links below

More

    Language

    From clichés and colorful sayings of the time to Native American languages, these pages feature the art of language.

    Expedition Members

    Learn about the people—and one dog—who were members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

    Medicine on the Trail

    From major crisis such as the death of Sgt. Floyd, Lewis’s gunshot wound, and the illness of Sacagawea to minor events such as sexually transmitted diseases, mosquito-born illnesses, and deep cuts, the medical aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition provide an interesting topic of study.

    Native American Nations

    The Lewis and Clark Expedition benefited from the Indians’ knowledge and support. Maps, route information, food, horses, open-handed friendship—all gave the Corps of Discovery the edge that spelled the difference between success and failure.

    A Military Corps

    Throughout the expedition the soldiers were expected to conform to the rules and routines of the frontier soldier of 1803.

    Tools and Techniques

    Explore the methods they used to get stuff done—from building canoes to making rope.

    Hunting and Fishing

    Although hunting and fishing were often considered a ‘gentleman’s sport’ especially in Europe, hunting and fishing for Native Americans and Americans alike were a matter of survival. The success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition depended on the success of its hunters.

    The Arts

    Because of the literate journalists, historians and visual artists can tell the Expedition’s story. When they celebrated with song and dance, we too can share in the experience.

    Related Explorers

    Lewis and Clark were among several significant explorers of North America both before and after the expedition.

    The Fur Trade

    Given President Jefferson’s directive to establish commerce, the captains worked extensively within a long-established network of North American fur trade. Part of their mission was to help establish the United States of America’s position within that industry.

    Louisiana’s Purchase

    The President’s representatives in Paris had bargained successfully with Napoleon’s bureaucrats not only to buy the port of New Orleans, then the keystone of the continent, but also to acquire, at three cents an acre, an area extending from the Mississippi River to . . . where? No one knew until Meriwether Lewis stood at the crest of the Rocky Mountains at a place known today as Lemhi Pass, on 12 August 1805.

    Horse Travel

    To cross the Rocky Mountains, the Lewis and Clark Expedition needed horses and the skills to manage them. Despite their seemingly constant struggle to find missing and stolen horses, as a kind of calvary unit, they left hoof prints on approximately 1,500 miles of western terrain.

    People

    The success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was due to its many members and the people they met, including politicians, Eastern gentleman scientists, traders, and the many people already living in the American west.

    Trail Diplomacy

    Lewis and Clark left behind among many Indians a legacy of nonviolent contact. Those who came later enjoyed that legacy and too often betrayed it.

    Other Topics

    Other topics include music, holidays, High Potential Historic Sites, and an index of articles from We Proceeded On.

    Synopsis of the Expedition

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    The entire story is told in these five webpages.

    The Boats

    Starting at Pittsburgh, traveling to the Pacific Ocean, and then returning to St. Louis, the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled approximately 10,600 miles. Of that, 85%—over 9,000 miles—was by boat. To understand travel in the early 1800 American West is to understand the boats and challenges of river navigation.

    The Trail

    Starting with its genesis in Jefferson’s Monticello, Lewis’s training and preparations in Philadelphia, and the barge’s excursion down the Ohio River, the route they took, often called the Lewis and Clark Trail, crosses the continent weaving an epic tale of western exploration treasured by many today.

    Legacies

    Legacy is a very slippery sort of term. If we could erase our myth concepts of Lewis and Clark … it might reawaken something really extraordinary in our national consciousness.

    Scientific Explorations

    Their work in the emerging fields of botany, ethnography, geography, geology, and zoology are now considered classics of early American scientific literature.

    Calendar

    Expedition Calendar

    Links to every day-by-day page in a calendar format spanning 31 August 1803 to 26 September 1806. A page every day!

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.