Lewis and Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery from 1804 to 1806 — the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast, covering 8,000 miles from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River and back. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase, the expedition produced detailed maps, documented over 300 previously unknown plant and animal species, established diplomatic contact with dozens of Native American nations, and demonstrated the viability of westward expansion. Their journals remain one of the founding documents of American geography and natural history, and their route opened the path for the subsequent settlement of the West.