Happy Birthday, Meriwether Lewis, Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Born on Aug. 18, 1774, in Albemarle County, Va., Meriwether Lewis was the second child of Lucy and William Lewis. When young Meriwether was 5 years old, his father passed away and his mother remarried, moving the family to Georgia, the Virginia Center for Digital History reports. 

Meriwether's adventurous spirit was evident even at 8 years old, when he frequently went hunting late at night in the bleakness of winter. He also developed a lifelong passion for natural history, nurtured by his mother’s knowledge of medicinal herbs.

Lewis returned to Virginia at age 13 to attend school. He thought about attending the College of William and Mary but instead chose to run the family estate at Locust Hill, according to the Virginia Center for Digital History.

At age 20, Lewis joined the U.S. Army and within six years, rose to the rank of captain. In 1801, he became personal secretary to his former neighbor and mentor, President Thomas Jefferson. According to EdGate, "Jefferson prepared Lewis to lead a group of explorers across the Louisiana Purchase." To adequately prepare for his journey, Lewis studied navigation, astronomy and botany.

Lewis felt he needed a partner for the journey so Jefferson granted permission for William Clark, Lewis' friend and former commanding officer, to join the expedition. Together the men set out to meet one of Jefferson's main purposes for the trip: "the recording and collecting of plant and animal specimens," according to the National Museum of Natural History.

The U.S. government sponsored the larger-than-life journey that later became known as “The Lewis and Clark Expedition.” The group set out on the Missouri River on May 21,1804, and made its way to North Dakota where they built a fort to spend the winter, National Geographic reports.

The expedition members spent a busy winter at Fort Mandan, trading with the Indians and hiring Toussaint Charbonneau, an interpreter. Charbonneau's Shosone wife, Sacagawea, and her infant son, Jean Baptiste, would accompany the expedition westward.

Lewis led the group through the rugged terrain of the Columbia River to the most western coast of the country. The expedition came to an end near present-day Astoria, Ore., in November 1805, according to Smithsonian Magazine. On March 23, 1806, Lewis advised the party to pack up and head for home.

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

According to Smithsonian Magazine, "Both Lewis and Clark were generously rewarded for their services, each receiving large parcels of land and double pay." In March 1807, Jefferson made Lewis governor of the Territory of Upper Louisiana. But Lewis fell into debt and never received reimbursement for his expenses. "Severely depressed, Lewis attempted suicide twice" on his way to Washington, D.C., to clear his name, Smithsonian Magazine reports. On Oct. 10, "the 35-year-old explorer ended his life by shooting himself with two pistols."

Noted documentary historian Ken Burns 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.