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Theme Essay
Stephen Ambrose called the Lewis and Clark Expedition America's "odyssey," and the journals "our greatest national literary treasure." As we begin a new millennium and our national constitution has survived for nearly 220 years, we ponder our national identity and values. The Lewis and Clark Expedition tells a story that many see as distinctively American and symbolic of the American spirit. The multi-cultural background of its members, the cooperative effort of many people toward one goal, the nostalgia for simpler times, the romance of a past when much of our great land was unknown to Euro-Americans and inhabited by native peoples-- all call upon our collective imagination and rekindle hope for the future. If this is not a story that gives meaning to our nation , then what is? Do we need "heroes" such as the Greek myths provided to give meaning to our national experience? If so, do Lewis and/or Clark qualify? If not, what pertinence does this story have today?
The purposes for this expedition continue to explain its significance. In President Jefferson's message to Congress, his stated purpose for the expedition was commerce. Jefferson's lifelong interest in science found reward with the expedition's rich gleanings of cartography (map making), botany, zoology and ethnology (the study of native cultures). Yet, in retrospect, Jefferson's desire to have an "empire of liberty" stands as the greatest purpose for the exploration party. The "Corps of Discovery" ventured into a land west of the recent Louisiana Purchase that had been claimed by Spain, Russia, England and the United States. This first overland expedition claimed for the new nation the vast land from sea to sea, and opened the way for trappers, traders, missionaries, and settlers to follow. Many Americans moved west to live even before the famous gold rushes.
While the Lewis and Clark Expedition was "exploring" ground new to them, they encountered many people who knew it well. Indian people played a large role in the success of the voyage and provided the most interesting stories of the Lewis and Clark experience. The long Mandan winter featured sharing of food, entertainment, hunting, and sex. The Shoshoni provided horses and a guide to cross the Bitterroot Mountains. The Clatsop and Chinook traded with members of the expedition on the Pacific Coast. The Nez Perce kept their horses during the winter of 1805-06 and shared many experiences while the group waited for the snow to melt in May and June of 1806 in what is now northern Idaho. These contributions and others are highlighted in recently published books, new operas and symphonies honoring the expedition, and many works of art. However, the most important development in the countless activities and plans for the bicentennial has been the participation of tribes in telling their own stories , and the increasing awareness of the American public about the contributions of Indian people to the success of the voyage.
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"Reading Lewis and Clark" Theme Discussion Prompts
- Donald Jackson called the journalists on this expedition "the writingest explorers" because there are journals by Lewis, Clark, Gass, Ordway, Floyd and Whitehouse. Do you agree with Stephen Ambrose that these journals are "our greatest national literary treasure?" If not, then what is?
- Did Lewis and Clark and other expedition journalists record the data about Indians that Jefferson had requested? What could the President learn from it? Was anything missing?
- Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition a "discovery" or an "encounter"?
- How did the expedition contribute to science (botany, zoology, cartography, and ethnography)?
- From the perspective of 200 years later, do you think that Jefferson accomplished his dream of an "empire for liberty"? Would the United States have acquired the Northwest regardless of the exploration of Lewis and Clark?
- How did the variety of ethnic backgrounds contribute to the interest in and the success of the expedition?
- Why is Sacagawea the most famous American woman? How much do we really know about her?
- What is worthy of commemoration upon the bicentennial of this expedition?
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Other Resources
Video
"Echoes of a Bitter Crossing: Lewis and Clark in Idaho." Idaho Public Television (1998).
"The Journey of Sacagawea, " Lori Joyce of Idanha Films and Idaho Public Television (2003).
"Lewis and Clark," Ken Burns. National Public Television (1997).
For Further Reading
Across the Divide, by Carolyn Gilman (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003).
This spectacular book comprises a collection of art related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition while the text follows the journey and includes quotations from the journals, letters, maps, and numerous photographs of Indian artifacts. Another classic was born into the Lewis and Clark literature when no one thought there was room for one.
Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark, edited by James Holmberg (Yale University Press, 2003).
During his life, William Clark handwrote at least forty-six letters to his older brother Jonathan, including six that were written during the expedition. Through these and Holmberg's excellent research and notes, we can learn much about Clark's life and relationships. Special light is shed on York's relationship with his master.
In Full View: A True and Accurate Account of Lewis and Clark's Arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and Their Search for a Winter Camp along the Lower Columbia River, by Rex Ziak (Moffitt House Press, 2002).
This beautiful book shows photographs, tide tables, historical accounts and journal entries to prove that the month between seeing the ocean and settling down for the winter on the Pacific coast vies with the Lolo Trail in challenging the Corps of Discovery. Horrible wet weather, tides, winds, and lack of experience with the mighty river all contributed to make this story exciting for us and gruesome for the explorers.
The Journals of Patrick Gass of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Carol Lynn MacGregor (Mountain Press, 1997).
First to be published, in 1807, and easiest to read of the original expedition journals because it was edited by David McKeehan, Gass's journal of the expedition gives the perspective of a working member of the Corps of Discovery. The second journal is his account book, written in Wellsburg, West Virginia, a couple of decades after the expedition. It sheds new light on Gass's life. MacGregor's copious annotations and "Hunter's Table" compare this expedition journal with the others and tell readers about the availability of game and the diet of the expedition members.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark, edited by Bernard De Voto (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997).
For many years this has been the classic one-volume condensation of the original Lewis and Clark journals. It includes more of the literature and events than Jones's "essential" excerpts, but excludes pages of astronomical and other scientific notation.
The Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with Related Documents 1783-1854, edited by Donald Jackson (University of Illinois Press, 1978).
This brilliant two-volume set includes all of the letters pertaining to the Lewis and Clark Expedition from diplomatic references between Spain, France and United States, to letters of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, John Ordway, and all others referring to it. It includes the list of supplies and much other information. For scholars, it has been an essential reference; for others it holds fascinating information.
Lewis and Clark: Historic Places Associated with Their Transcontinental Exploration (1804-06),
The first part of this easy-to-read, accurate, and informative book is called "Historical Background." It gives a summary of the background, preparation, and happenings of the expedition, and is accompanied by black and white photographs of people, places, documents, and drawings. The second part provides a survey of the historic sites and buildings on the Lewis and Clark Trail, many of which are under the authority of the National Park Service. by Roy E. Appleman (National Park Service, 1975).
The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, edited by Gary Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).
For over a decade Gary Moulton published this thirteen-volume set of original journals of the expedition. The first volume contributes the best maps and interpretation to date. Volumes 2-8 include all copies and all notations of Lewis and of Clark. Volume 9 includes the journals of Floyd and of Ordway, Volume 10 of Gass, and Volume 11 of Whitehouse. Volume 12 is the "Herbarium," again a unique contribution, and Volume 13 is the comprehensive index.
The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery, edited by Gary Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003).
This is a new abridgement of the above work in one volume.
Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists, by Paul Russell Cutright (University of Nebraska Press, 1969).
This book gives a complete listing of the flora and fauna scientifically annotated during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It serves as the basis for any subsequent literature about the subject, because Cutright extracted from the journal accounts all the information and listed it accurately.
Out West, by Dayton Duncan (Viking Penguin, 1987).
As a young man, Duncan followed the Lewis and Clark Trail and talked to various kinds of people as he traveled west. An Easterner, he was fascinated with the variety of landscape in our huge nation, the variety of people, and the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Since this epic tale, Dayton Duncan has been involved in retelling the story of Lewis and Clark on television, in subsequent books, and through speeches throughout the country.
Sacajawea, by Harold P. Howard (University of Oklahoma Press, 1971).
Sorting through many different interpretations of the contributions of the Shoshoni girl who traveled with Lewis and Clark from the Mandans to her people, on to the Pacific and back to the Mandans, Howard seeks to explain the contribution of this "unofficial" member of the party. His research is careful and he follows the journals, paraphrasing the role of the Indian woman throughout the trip, highlighting the importance of her presence in keeping the party safe, for a war party would never include a woman.
The Way to the Western Sea, by David Lavender (Bison Books, 1988, 2001).
This is still the best secondary source for an accurate retelling of the journals. It is not anybody's biography or a paraphrase. Lavender, an English professor at Princeton, follows the journal accounts with lively prose.
Books for Children:
Lewis and Clark's Bittersweet Crossing, by Carol Lynn MacGregor; illustrated by Gaye Hoopes (Caxton Press, 2004).
A book written for school children, this accurate history focusing on the expedition's experience in present-day Idaho has a beautiful watercolor by Gaye Hoopes facing nearly every written page. It tells the entire story in only 32 pages but concentrates on Lemhi Pass, the Lolo Trail, and the Long Camp, highlighting the help that the Corps of Discovery received from the Shoshoni and the Nez Perce people.
Shoshoni Pony: First Horse in the Northwest, by Carol Lynn MacGregor; illustrated by Dick Lee (Caxton Press, 2003).
This book written for school children highlights the contribution of the Shoshoni people in bringing the first horses to the Northwest. Their Comanche relatives from the Southwest captured the horses after Spaniards left them in the hands of the Pueblo people after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Horses radically changed the lives of Indian nations. This book is richly illustrated with oil paintings by Dick Lee.
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Lewis and Clark Links
Web Sites with an Idaho Focus
Lemhi Shoshone Tribe
www.lemhi-shoshone.com
This is the official web site of the Lemhi Shoshone Tribe.
Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) - a module of Lifelong Learning Online: The Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project (in collaboration with the Nimíipuu, an e publication, Nez Perce Tribe, University of Idaho and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, 2002). http://l3.ed.uidaho.edu/Sites/ShowOneSite.asp?SiteID=34&ExpeditionID=1
The Nimíipuu, also known as the Nez Perce, have a rich and vibrant culture. This web site provides understanding of the Nimíipuu's influence on Lewis and Clark and also American history and culture. Highlights include oral history by tribal elders.
Lewis and Clark in Idaho
http://www.lewisandclarkidaho.org/
The official Idaho web site commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition allows users to browse Lewis and Clark maps, learn the oral history of Sacajawea, and travel the Lewis and Clark Trail in Idaho on their own paths of discovery.
Idaho Public Television Presents Lewis and Clark in Idaho
http://idahoptv.org/lc/
This Idaho PTV site describes three locally-produced videos and furnishes a good deal of background information on the Expedition, including interviews with three of the authors in our series.
Idaho Bureau of Land Management - Lewis and Clark
http://www.id.blm.gov/lc/
The Idaho BLM office has assembled a series of articles on the history of the Expedition itself, including information on each of the Corps members.
Web Sites - General
In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark
http://www.sierraclub.org/lewisandclark/
This Sierra Club site covers a wide variety of aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including the landscape and natural history they encountered, their journal entries with facsimile pages, and day-to-day entries from a nature journal, plus links to other Lewis and Clark and Native American sites.
Lewis and Clark: The Ultimate Adventure
http://www.time.com/time/2002/lewis_clark/
Time Magazine celebrates the bicentennial (1803-2003) of the Corps of Discovery Expedition with two essays on the leaders, an interactive map of the journey, a map of tribal lands then and now, a bibliography, and a guide to more resources.
National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
http://www.lewisandclark200.org/
This Council site seeks to "promote educational programs, cultural sensitivity and harmony, and the sustaining stewardship of natural and historical resources along the route of the Expedition" by providing news, an events calendar, and links to parks, museums, maps, and contacts.
Discovering Lewis and ClarkTM
http://www.lewis-clark.org/
This site contains selections from the Expedition journals, photographs, maps, graphics, and sound; it provides extensive coverage of the events and natural history of the Expedition. Harry Fritz, history professor at the University of Montana, Missoula, created and maintains it.
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
http://www.nps.gov/lecl/
This site from the National Park Service features information about the Trail, providing details of activities (such as hiking, cycling and boating), educational programs, special events, facilities, fees, maps, and nearby attractions.
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
Designed to accompany the Ken Burns documentary, this web site includes Expedition maps and journals, a timeline, opinions from historians, and more. Information on Sacagawea, related web sites, and a bibliography of other resources are also included.
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.
http://www.lewisandclark.org/
The Foundation "focuses on stewardship of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, scholarship and historical accuracy with regard to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and education of young people. This site describes programs, services, and ongoing projects of the Foundation, but does not give a lot of online information about the Expedition or the Trail itself.
Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/Timelines/1803/1803Timeline.htm
The National Park Service has compiled a series of timelines on the Expedition and the time following. The site contains text from the journals, accompanied by pictures of flora and fauna seen by Lewis and Clark. Also included are present-day photos of places mentioned in the journals, plus some delightful additions, such as a virtual tour of Lemhi Pass.
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online
http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/multimedia.html/
This site from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln makes available the text of the most accurate and inclusive edition of the Lewis and Clark journals, edited by Gary E. Moulton. It also includes additional texts, links, and an interview with the editor.
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Thank you to the following:
Dr. Carol Lynn MacGregor, who wrote the "Reading Lewis and Clark" theme materials. An Idaho native, Dr. MacGregor is a historian, author, and adjunct professor at Boise State University. Her books include: The Journals of Patrick Gass of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Missoula: Mountain Press (1997); and Shoshoni Pony (2003) and Lewis and Clark's Bittersweet Crossing (2004), two picture books published by Caxton Press. Dr. MacGregor also participates in the Idaho Humanities Council's Speaker's Bureau. She lives in Boise and Cascade.
The theme selection committee: Josephine Jones, Log Cabin Literary Center, Boise; Susana Ossandon, Ada Community Library, Boise; David Townsend, Coeur d'Alene Public Library; and Jane Houston, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Boise.
The Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, who provided a grant for the development and production of these materials.
The National Park Service for their permission to use the logo from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail sign for this theme.
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, a publication of the Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee (January, 2005). 
