Lewis and Clark Expedition, Part 4: Lewis and Clark Leave Civilization Behind

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

On October 14, 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met in Clarksville, Indiana Territory, and commenced the most famous partnership in American history. They planned to leave with the spring thaw and reach the Mandan villages, 1,300 river miles above St. Louis, and spend the winter there before proceeding west. On May 21, 1804, the Corps pushed out into the current of the Missouri and, as the men moved north, they entered an enchanting land that very few would ever see again. But despite the idyllic surroundings, the Corps of Discovery was still an independent military expedition traveling in hostile territory.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses what the Corps of Discovery encountered along their way to the Pacific, and why it still matters today. 

Images courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Wikimedia, Wikiart, Picryl, Library of Congress, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Park Service. 

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Tom Hand
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Lewis and Clark Expedition, Part 3: Leaders of the Corps of Discovery