Happy Birthday, Meriwether Lewis

Born on August 18, 1774, in Albemarle County, Virginia, Meriwether Lewis was the second child of Lucy and John Lewis. At the age of 5, his father passed away and his mother remarried. His adventurous spirit was evident even at 8 years old, when he frequently took middle-of-the-night hunting escapades in the bleakness of winter. He also developed a lifelong passion for natural history, nurtured by his mother’s knowledge of medicinal herbs, which she taught to him. Lewis left for school in Virginia at age 13, but eschewed college at William & Mary to instead run the family estate at Locust Hill.

At age 20, Lewis joined the U.S. Army and within six years, rose to the rank of captain. A year later, he became personal secretary to his former neighbor and mentor, President Thomas Jefferson. His mission was clear: to plan and explore a westbound route to the Pacific Northwest to find out if there was a water route connecting the Mississippi and Columbia Rivers. To adequately prepare for his journey, Lewis was given further study in navigation, map-making and astronomy.

He felt he needed a partner for this journey and Jefferson granted permission for Lewis to engage his friend and former commanding officer William Clark, for the position. Clark was considered opposite in temperament to Lewis—an “extroverted” and “gregarious” gentleman who was a keen observer of animals and a collector of minerals and plants. Even though their excursion was tumultuous, the two have no trace of arguments or disputes.

The U.S. Government sponsored the larger-than-life journey that later became known as “The Lewis and Clark Expedition.” The expedition set out on the mouth of the Wood River on May 21,1804, and made its way to North Dakota where they spent their first winter together; in springtime, they continued along the Missouri River.

By the end of the summer, they had crossed the Rocky Mountains, learning vital information about the Native Americans they met with along the way. A Shoshone Indian woman named Sacajawea who helped the expedition avert disaster according to an entry in Lewis’s journal, has become intertwined with the Lewis & Clark mythology.

Lewis led the group through the rugged terrain of the Columbia River to the most western coast of the country, with their expedition ending in Seaside, Oregon. On March 23, 1806, Lewis advised the party to pack up and retrace the steps of their expedition back toward home.

After an uneventful journey, they parted at Fort Mandan from Sacajawea, her husband, Charbonneau, and their young son, Baptiste.

Meriwether Lewis and the expedition members returned to St. Louis in September 1806, with journals in hand to give an account of their journey to President Jefferson. Their excursion marked an original pathway through the western territory, opening up greater opportunity for expansion.

Lewis was well compensated, with double pay and 1,500 acres of land upon his return, and was appointed governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. Clark was made brigadier general of militia, and superintendent of Indian affairs for this territory.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with the Latin inscription on Meriwether Lewis’s tombstone: “Immaturus obi: sed tu felicior annos Vive meos, Bona Republica! Viva tuos”—I died young: but thou, O Good Republic, live out my years for me with better fortune.

Noted documentary historian Ken Burns has made a comprehensive film about the Lewis & Clark Expedition: “The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.” The accompanying PBS Web site has a wealth of information about the journey and the men involved.