May 14, 1804 – Lewis & Clark Begin Their Epic Journey

The epic journey of Lewis and Clark was the genesis of America’s thrust westward across the continent. In 1803, the United States obtained from France, by terms of the Louisiana Purchase, all the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.

From 1804 to 1806 an official expedition was dispatched to explore and report back to Washington in this vast, new territory. The expedition, under joint command of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, was comprised of individuals representing the ethnic diversity of the new Nation. White of European ancestry, Canadian voyageurs of mixed French and Indian heritage, a black slave called York who belonged to Captain Clark, and a valiant Indian woman called Sacajawea. The Corps of Discovery experienced both hardship and triumph over the two year adventure that took them up the Missouri River, out on to the Great Plains, over the barrier of the Rocky Mountains, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, and then the long, hard journey back.

The formal report spoke in glowing terms of a country of fertile prairies, flowing water, towering forests, abundant wildlife, and an endless succession of awe-inspiring natural wonders. As to their encounters with the native population, Lewis and Clark reported that they had, for the most part, found the Indian to be friendly and hospitable. It was a story that quickly captured the Nation’s imagination.

In this John Clymer oil entitled “Up The Jefferson”, it is the summer of 1805, the expedition is on its return voyage proceeding up the north fork of the Missouri River, which they named the Jefferson, in honor of the American President. A small group is being sent off overland to secure horses from the Indians. The rest of the party will continue on the river in their rough-hewn canoes. It was still a long way home.