Post-Expedition

Meriwether Lewis's Final Years

Lewis's appointment as Governor of Upper Louisiana, his struggles in St. Louis, and his death along the Natchez Trace in 1809.

William Clark's Later Career

Clark's role as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, his diplomacy with Native nations, and his decades of public service after the expedition.

Publication of the Journals

Sergeant Patrick Gass's 1807 account was the first published narrative of the expedition, decades before Lewis and Clark's own journals reached print.

Crossing the Koos-koos-ke: Bears, Horse Surgery, and a Six-Thumbed Trophy

Cross-narratorOctober 14, 1806

On a frosty October morning along the Clearwater, Gass records a day rich with detail — successful bear hunts, the gelding of horses by Nez Perce hands, and a chilling war trophy — while Ordway's surviving fragment offers only a single tantalizing line.

Station Camp/McGowan

November 16, 1806 · Columbia · Mile 10.5

John Ordway: October 2, 1806

October 2, 1806

hunters Shannon & Labuche came to the fort had killed three Elk.

Patrick Gass: October 8, 1806

October 8, 1806

sant; and we remained liere some time, to endeavour ‘to kill some deer ; and the hunters were sent out.— ery “Here some of the. natives came to our camp,…

Patrick Gass: October 9, 1806

October 9, 1806

hunters went out, and we proceeded on for abaut six miles, when’ we | came to the old chief. 8 lodge, ae 2 as family. ise ncamped to gather roots.…

Patrick Gass: October 14, 1806

October 14, 1806

some white frost. Three hunters went over very early to the north side of the river. All the rest of the men. were employed in collecting our horses and taking…

John Ordway: October 14, 1806

October 14, 1806

we Soon found it again.

John Ordway: October 16, 1806

October 16, 1806

usal.

Patrick Gass: October 19, 1806

October 19, 1806

ee ‘old Indian and his wife staid all night and got more –_ medicine. A party of the men went to some Indian lodges about four miles up the river…

Patrick Gass: October 20, 1806

October 20, 1806

Two. 88 ore hunters went out; and some men ol a she out. making a canoe to fish i in, when the salmon — come up, as wedo not expect…

John Ordway: October 22, 1806

October 22, 1806

canoe after the Elk meat, a hard Storm of rain and verry high wind, we had a disagreeable time of it. three of the hunters Stayed out to hunt.

John Ordway: October 23, 1806

October 23, 1806

night 2 men set out to go over to the Salt Camps after Some Salt, high wind &C.

Patrick Gass: October 27, 1806

October 27, 1806

and several of our men went to ‘the village ; around — us to procure roots. og hese roots are a good diet, but in general we do not relish…

Patrick Gass: October 28, 1806

October 28, 1806

< a te oR u r Ne) #3 A 4 sone that the snow is Ravine thes mountains. | er De 10 o’clock the miver ceased ri ue and the…

Patrick Gass: October 29, 1806

October 29, 1806

our twa men’came over from the village, and ahuns ter, who had been out, returned without killing any: © things » ‘Several of the natives still stay about our he…

Patrick Gass: October 30, 1806

October 30, 1806

some white frost. Several’of | hunt; and returned at noon. and two deer. In) this” pla strawberry vines I ever saw, and ne _ This plain contains about two thou…

Patrick Gass: October 31, 1806

October 31, 1806

hunters age ain Went out; at 10 e’clock one came _ er; and in the evening the rest of t them, | – but the bad not. killed any thing.…

Patrick Gass: November 1, 1806

November 1, 1806

“the men. out to hunt. While they were out ‘ ndian went on… About 10 o’clock. the) ‘in without | haying killed any thing ; aes | gh men. came…

Patrick Gass: November 2, 1806

November 2, 1806

set out early, precectia over som came to the old eit 3 at fie i : ae re we gifs ns for ‘hie ges ee gs most 2 a desetic…

Patrick Gass: November 7, 1806

November 7, 1806

-mnorning. Continued our journey early along the valley, which is very beautiful with a great deal ef _ lover in its plains. Having gone about five mile oe ae tue…

Patrick Gass: November 9, 1806

November 9, 1806

oie. to go down the river 5 > bat had not proceeded e ee until it began to rain, and. we halted at some old = “Indian. lodges, where we…

Patrick Gass: November 12, 1806

November 12, 1806

ae out, to colleet our horses and found that ten of them “were missing. I then set out. to look for them, went seven miles up Medicine. river, where I…

Patrick Gass: November 16, 1806

November 16, 1806

collected our horses, of which Capt. Lewis tek six : – over the portage; and then started to go up Maria’s S river with and Jeft four to haul the…

Patrick Gass: November 19, 1806

November 19, 1806

most of the men are employed in dressing skins, as we bave got all ready for crossing. the portage as soon as the canoes arrive. “The niusquitees: were wae ERY…

Patrick Gass: November 20, 1806

November 20, 1806

e us started in various directions to Jook for the horses, ae * and in a short time. two of the men found themes: a . | harnessed them in…

Patrick Gass: November 23, 1806

November 23, 1806

after the rain; and I went with the man who came “with me last night, and joined the party at the river, They had repaired the waggons and puton two…

Patrick Gass: November 24, 1806

November 24, 1806

ri y much indisposed last. night and am’yet 24 ages noe i therefore staid at this camp, and the par- © e iis a ep went baek for »,.more canoes.…

Patrick Gass: November 25, 1806

November 25, 1806

; ty heavy dew. The party set out early to Portage river with the canoe 3 and ina short time the men ~ with the other waggon came back ;…

Patrick Gass: November 26, 1806

November 26, 1806

a tinued at intervals to rain hard ;about 10. oclock we se – saw.a great gang of elk on a small island, where we ” halted and ina short time…

Patrick Gass: November 27, 1806

November 27, 1806

set out early, aftera veRy? heavy shower of rain which. fell before day light. We proceeded on very well, o and about A o’clock around at the mouth of the…

Patrick Gass: November 28, 1806

November 28, 1806

skins, ‘until 36 flack | in the afternoon, when. West eee _ the periogue completed, loaded our craft, and at Suk ae _ e’clock proceeded on to the mouth of…

Patrick Gass: November 29, 1806

November 29, 1806

‘we set out early ; passed Captain Clarke’s encamp- _ ment of the night of the 8th Ifistant, and proceeded : Oey, on to the | urnt blulls, hi? os…

Patrick Gass: November 30, 1806

November 30, 1806

proceeded on. Captain Lewis is in good spirits ; but his wound stiff and sore. Having gone about nine miles we met with two men on the river trapping and…

Patrick Gass: December 1, 1806

December 1, 1806

; vee and the weather | cold for the: “nny B. Z Hn ee S$ = Wee! ace ger Ape NOS AN og tie eg Vp ES ries oF and…

Patrick Gass: December 20, 1806

December 20, 1806

» gust of wind and rain, and proceeded on very well. he. forenoon was cloudy, without rain ; and in the pes – afternoon t we found the musketoes very…

Patrick Gass: December 29, 1806

December 29, 1806

hunters went on ahead very early; while weamused ~ ourselves till 10 o’clock gathering » onoelige of which there is great dbundance at this place. We then | went on,…

Patrick Gass: December 30, 1806

December 30, 1806

went on ‘early, three hunters starting ahead. ake ‘killed some buffaloe and elk in our way, and about 2 he 2 o’clock met a band of the Teetons, fifty or…

Patrick Gass: December 31, 1806

December 31, 1806

4 hunters not having come in we left a canoe, with directions to wait till 12 o’clock for them ; and pro: ceeded on. ‘About 9 o’clock we met with…

Nathaniel Hale Pryor

A cousin of Sergeant Charles Floyd, Pryor led the First Squad of six privates during the expedition. Lewis praised him as one of the most capable men on the journey. After the expedition, he served in the War of 1812, became a fur trader, and eventually settled among the Osage Nation.

Fort Clark on the Missouri

Karl Bodmer, 1834

Bodmer's view of Fort Clark looks across a wide, snow-flecked bottomland on the upper Missouri River toward the small American Fur Company post, which sits on a low bluff above the water. The fort itself—a…

Mato-Tope, A Mandan Chief

Karl Bodmer, 1833–1834

Bodmer's portrait shows Mato-Tope (Four Bears), second chief of the Mandan, in full regalia. The figure stands in three-quarter view, his face painted with vertical stripes and a yellow hand mark across the mouth signifying…

Meriwether Lewis

Charles Willson Peale, 1807

Charles Willson Peale's portrait shows Meriwether Lewis from the chest up, turned slightly to the viewer's right against a plain dark background. Lewis wears civilian dress: a dark coat over a high-collared white shirt and…

Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch, A Mandan Village

Karl Bodmer, 1833

Bodmer's view of Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch shows the principal Mandan village on the west bank of the Missouri River in present-day North Dakota. The composition is structured around the cluster of domed earthlodges that rise from the…

The Interior of the Hut of a Mandan Chief

Karl Bodmer, 1833–1834

Bodmer's aquatint shows the cavernous interior of an earth lodge belonging to a Mandan leader on the upper Missouri River. The composition centers on a hearth where smoke rises toward an opening in the domed…

William Clark

Charles Willson Peale, c. 1807–1808

Charles Willson Peale's portrait of William Clark shows the explorer in bust-length view, dressed in civilian clothing appropriate to his postexpedition station rather than military uniform. Clark faces the viewer in a three-quarter pose with…

Treaty with the Delaware et al., 1809

Land cession by the Delaware, Eel River Miami, Kickapoo, Miami, Potawatomi, Wea. Region: Indiana. Covering 9 counties across IN. Associated dates: 1809-09-30, 1809-10-26, 1816-06-04. Present-Day Tribes Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma…

Treaty with the Foxes, 1815

1815

The Treaty with the Fox of 1815 was signed on September 14, 1815 between the United States and the Fox tribe. Its purpose was to re-establish peace and friendship after…

Treaty with the Grand Pawnee, 1818

1818

The Treaty with the Pawnee of 1818 was signed on June 18, 1818 between the United States and the Grand Pawnee tribe. Its main purpose was to establish perpetual peace…

Treaty with the Great and Little Osage et al., 1808

Land cession by the Great and Little Osage, Iowa, Sauk and Fox. Region: Missouri 1. Covering 31 counties across MO. Associated dates: 1808-11-10, 1824-08-04, 1824-08-04. Present-Day Tribes The Osage Nation,…

Treaty with the Great and Little Osage, 1808

Land cession by the Great and Little Osage. Region: Arkansas 1, Missouri 1. Covering 101 counties across AR, MO. Treaty Provisions Hunting, Fishing, Gathering “And the United States agree that…

Treaty with the Iowa, 1815

1815

This 1815 treaty was between the United States and the Iaway (Iowa) tribe to reestablish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for past injuries…

Treaty with the Iowa, 1824

1824

This 1824 treaty was between the United States and the Ioway Tribe. The Ioway ceded all their land claims in Missouri between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to the U.S.…

Treaty with the Iowa, etc., 1836

1836

The Treaty with the Iowa and Missouri Sac and Fox of 1836 was signed on September 17, 1836 between the U.S. and the Iowa tribe and Missouri Sac and Fox…

Treaty with the Kansa, 1825

1825

The Treaty with the Kansas of 1825 was signed on June 3, 1825 between the United States and the Kansas Nation. Under this treaty, the Kansas ceded lands in Missouri…

Treaty with the Kickapoo, 1815

1815

This 1815 treaty was between the United States and the Kickapoo tribe to reestablish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for past injuries and…

Treaty with the Makah, 1815

1815

This 1815 treaty was between the United States and the Mahas tribe to reestablish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for any past injuries…

Treaty with the Menominee, 1817

1817

The Treaty with the Menominee of 1817 was signed on March 30, 1817 between the United States and the Menominee tribe. Its main purpose was to re-establish peace and friendship…

Treaty with the Noisy Pawnee, 1818

1818

The Treaty with the Pawnee (Pitavirate Noisy) of 1818 was signed on June 19, 1818 between the U.S. and the Pitavirate Noisy Pawnee tribe. Its purpose was to establish perpetual…

Treaty with the Osage, 1815

1815

The Treaty with the Osage of 1815 was ratified on December 26, 1815 between the United States government and the Great and Little Osage tribes. Its main purpose was to…

Treaty with the Osage, 1818

1818

This 1818 treaty was between the U.S. and the Osage tribes regarding repeated property losses from Osage raids. The Osage ceded land between the Arkansas and Verdigris Rivers to the…

Treaty with the Osage, 1825

1825

This treaty was signed in St. Louis between the U.S. and the Great and Little Osage tribes, who ceded a large amount of land across Missouri, Arkansas, and beyond. The…

Treaty with the Oto, 1817

1817

This 1817 treaty was between the United States and the Ottoes tribe to reestablish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for any past injuries…

Treaty with the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, 1807

Treaty Provisions Hunting, Fishing, Gathering “It is further agreed and stipulated, that the said Indian nations shall enjoy the privilege of hunting and fishing on the lands ceded as aforesaid,…

Treaty with the Ottawa, etc., 1816

1816

The Treaty with the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi of 1816 was signed on August 24, 1816 between these tribes and the United States. It settled a land dispute stemming from…

Treaty with the Pawnee Marhar, 1818

1818

The Treaty with the Pawnee Marhar of 1818 was signed on June 22, 1818 between the U.S. and the Pawnee Marhar tribe. Its purpose was to establish perpetual peace and…

Treaty with the Pawnee Republic, 1818

1820

This 1818 treaty was between the United States and the Pawnee Republic to establish peace and friendship. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for any past injuries or hostilities. The Pawnee acknowledged…

Treaty with the Piankashaw, 1815

1815

The Treaty with the Piankeshaw of 1815 was signed on July 18, 1815 between the United States and the Piankeshaw tribe. Its purpose was to re-establish peace and friendship after…

Treaty with the Ponca, 1817

1817

This 1817 treaty was between the United States and the Poncarar tribe to reestablish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It stipulated mutual forgiveness for any past injuries…

Treaty with the Potawatomi, 1815

1815

This treaty was signed at Portage des Sioux between the U.S. and Poutawatomie leaders to re-establish peace and friendship after the War of 1812. It mutually forgave past hostilities while…

Clark's Map of the American West (1810)

William Clark, 1810

Clark drew maps throughout the expedition, eventually compiling them into a master manuscript map that depicted the entire route from St. Louis to the Pacific. Published as an engraved version…

History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark (Biddle Edition)

Nicholas Biddle, Paul Allen, 1814

After Lewis’s death in 1809 left the journals unpublished, Clark entrusted them to Biddle, who produced a readable narrative from the raw journal entries. The two-volume work included Clark’s map…

Jefferson's Message to Congress on the Expedition's Return

Thomas Jefferson, 1807

Jefferson presented to Congress Lewis’s summary of the expedition’s findings, including estimates of Native populations, trade potential, and geographical observations. He requested that Congress grant double pay and 320 acres…

Land Warrants Issued to Expedition Members

United States Congress, 1807

On March 3, 1807, Congress passed an act granting double pay and land warrants to the members of the expedition. Captains Lewis and Clark received 1,600 acres each; enlisted men…

Sergeant Gass's Journal (Published 1807)

Patrick Gass, 1807

Gass’s account was published as “A Journal of the Voyages and Travels of a Corps of Discovery” in 1807. As the expedition carpenter, Gass provided unique details about the construction…

American Museum of Natural History — Lewis & Clark Sculptures

Features 13-foot sculptures of Lewis, Clark, and other American explorers by James Earle Fraser on its Central Park facade.

Bad Mergentheim Castle — Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau in Germany

Castle where Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, Sacagawea's son, lived for five years (1824-1829) as a guest of Duke Paul of Württemberg.

Booth Western Art Museum

One of the largest permanent exhibitions of Western art in the United States, with works depicting the Lewis and Clark era.

Charleston Museum — Lewis & Clark Herbarium

One of three repositories holding Lewis and Clark botanical specimens, housed in one of America's oldest museums.

Chickasaw Cultural Center — Jefferson Peace Medal

Houses a Jefferson Peace Medal, one of the diplomatic gifts carried by Lewis and Clark to present to tribal leaders.

Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

Features Charles Fritz paintings of Lewis and Clark scenes plus exhibits on the animals documented during the expedition.

Neuwied Castle — Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer Collections

Home of Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer's collections documenting the Mandan and Hidatsa peoples visited by Lewis and Clark.

Newberry Library — Joseph Whitehouse Journal

Repository of the Joseph Whitehouse Journal, providing an enlisted soldier's perspective on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Lewis & Clark Herbarium

Holds Lewis and Clark botanical specimens, part of the international distribution of the expedition's scientific collections.

Trinity Church Cemetery — Albert Gallatin Burial

Burial site of Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury who helped finance the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Wisconsin Historical Society — Charles Floyd Journal

Home of the Charles Floyd Journal and the Draper Collection of frontier history manuscripts.

Company Commanders to Bureaucratic Administrators: Lewis & Clark After the Expedition

The post-expedition years of Lewis and Clark, from celebrated explorers to territorial administrators. Covers Lewis's governorship of Upper Louisiana, Clark's military career, their accomplishments in St. Louis, and Lewis's tragic death in 1809.

Fort Manuel: Its Historical Significance and the Death of Sacagawea

Irving W. Anderson's definitive scholarly analysis proving that Sacagawea died at Fort Manuel on the Missouri River on December 20, 1812, contradicting the long-held theory that she lived until 1884 in Wyoming. Based on primary sources including the Luttig journal and William Clark's own records.

Meriwether Lewis's Survey at Cumberland Gap

Two months after the expedition's return, Meriwether Lewis ran a boundary survey at the Cumberland Gap — November 23, 1806.

The Corps in the War of 1812

Brief lives of thirty-plus Corps of Discovery veterans and associates and what they did in the War of 1812.