About the Research Database
Preserving and sharing the historical legacy of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through comprehensive digital archives.
Our Mission
The Lewis and Clark Research Database brings the primary sources of the Lewis and Clark Expedition together in one place: the daily journals, treaties, letters, artwork, and scientific observations that document the Corps of Discovery and the nations they met along the way.
Our goal is to make that record easy to search, easy to cite, and free to use. Items are catalogued, dated, and geolocated where possible, and connected to the landscape they describe, so researchers, educators, tribal nations, and the public can move between the written record and the trail itself.
The Collection
The database holds more than 6,000 catalogued items: daily journal entries from the expedition's six journal keepers, treaties and agreements between the United States and Native nations, primary documents and translations, period artwork, and records of the wildlife and river features the expedition described.
Wherever possible, items are tied to a date, a place on the trail, and the people involved, so a single search can surface everything the record holds about a day, a river, or a nation.
- Historical treaties and agreements
- Primary source documents
- Academic research papers
- Period artwork and illustrations
- Translated historical texts
Our History
The database is built and maintained by Terrain360 with support from the Lewis and Clark Trust.
It began as the research arm of the Lewis and Clark Trust and grew into a standalone reference for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, coming online at lewisandclarkresearch.org in 2026.
The collection is anchored by Terrain360's fieldwork: more than 4,300 miles of the trail corridor documented in 360-degree imagery across 16 states, which ties the written record to the physical landscape it describes.
The collection is a living archive, and we audit it continuously. If you find an error, or you hold knowledge or materials that belong in the record, we want to hear from you through the contact page.
Explore the Collection
Discover historical treaties, research papers, documents, and artwork from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
