Journal
The Journals of Lewis and Clark
The collective journals kept by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during the expedition constitute one of the most important documents in American exploration history. Spanning over one million words across multiple notebooks, the journals record daily events, scientific observations, maps, ethnographic descriptions, and personal reflections from May 1804 to September 1806.
Lewis and Clark each maintained separate journals, though Lewis’s entries are notably absent for long periods (leading to enduring speculation about what he was doing during these gaps). Clark was the more consistent journalist, writing nearly every day. The journals document encounters with over 50 Native nations, describe more than 170 previously unknown plant species and 120 animal species, record astronomical observations, and contain Clark’s remarkably accurate maps. The original journals were not fully published until the Reuben Gold Thwaites edition of 1904-1905.
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