Meriwether Lewis Archives - Lewis & Clark Research Database

Andrew Ellicott: America’s Premier Surveyor

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:14:16 +0000

Andrew Ellicott (1754–1820) was the foremost surveyor of the early United States. He completed the Mason–Dixon Line, ran the boundaries of nearly a dozen current and future states, surveyed the ground chosen for the new federal capital and carried Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington forward, measured the height of Niagara Falls, and ran the southern boundary of the United States with Spanish Florida. This biography by Lorna Hainesworth follows his life and major surveys from the 1780s through his last boundary work and his years teaching mathematics at West Point, where students nicknamed him “Old Infinite Series.”

The expedition connection is direct. In April 1803, Meriwether Lewis traveled to Ellicott’s home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to learn celestial navigation and the practical field surveying he would need in the West, staying about three weeks. Ellicott — himself once a student of Robert Patterson, another of Lewis’s tutors — taught him to fix latitude and longitude with sextant and chronometer. Ellicott’s earlier mapping of the Ohio–Mississippi confluence also informed Nicholas King’s compiled map carried by the Corps of Discovery.

This summary is provided for reference on the Lewis and Clark Research archive; the full article by Lorna Hainesworth is available at the source link.

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Meriwether Lewis’s Survey at Cumberland Gap

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:14:16 +0000

The expedition is usually said to have ended when the Corps of Discovery reached St. Louis on September 23, 1806 — but Lorna Hainesworth documents a little-known coda. Traveling east to brief President Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis went ahead of William Clark through the Cumberland Gap, the great pass where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet. There, on November 23, 1806, local gentlemen asked him to determine whether Dr. Thomas Walker’s old line — by then the Kentucky–Tennessee boundary — actually lay where it was supposed to.

The paper reconstructs the return party (Sheheke, or Big White, and his family; the Pierre Chouteau–led Osage delegation; Clark’s man York; privates Labiche and Frazier; and sergeants Gass and Ordway), the post roads they followed, and the long history of the Gap from Walker’s 1750 sighting through Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road. It is a window onto Lewis the trained surveyor still at work, weeks after the journey west was over.

This summary is provided for reference on the Lewis and Clark Research archive; the full article by Lorna Hainesworth is available at the source link.

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Planning a Transcontinental Journey

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:14:16 +0000

While researching connections between Maryland and the Lewis and Clark story, Lorna Hainesworth turned up a June 6, 1803 letter from Meriwether Lewis to William Linnard, the Army’s military agent in Philadelphia — a document missing from Donald Jackson’s standard Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and overlooked by Ambrose, Cutright, and Dillon. The letter lays out, in exacting detail, how Lewis wanted his accumulated stores moved from Philadelphia and Harpers Ferry to Pittsburgh: the team and driver to hire, the route to follow, the schedule, the careful handling of his box of mathematical instruments, and how the expenses were to be accounted.

Read alongside four related 1803 letters (including the “Portable Soup” letter to General William Irvine), it reconstructs Lewis’s spring-to-summer travels and introduces the cadre of quartermasters, purveyors, and armory officers — Israel Whelan, Thomas Cushing, Joseph Perkins, George Ingels, and Irvine — who outfitted the expedition. The find reveals Lewis at his logistical best: not only an explorer, but a meticulous quartermaster and project manager.

First published in the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation’s journal, We Proceeded On (August 2009). This summary is provided for reference on the Lewis and Clark Research archive; the full article is available at the source link.

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Hot Spring Dammed by Natives for Bathing

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:20 +0000

cloudy. we got our horses up all but the one Cap! Lewis
rode and a colt which our young Indian rode. we hunted
Some time for them but could not find them. then all but 2
or three loaded the horses and proceeded on a Short distance
passed a warm Spring, which nearly boiled where it Issued out
of the rocks a Short distance below the natives has dammed
it up to bathe themselves in, and the water in that place is con-
siderable above blood heat. it runs out in Sundry places and
Some places cooler than others. Several of us drank of the ,
water, it has a little sulp[h]ur taste and verry clear. these
Springs are very beautiful to See, and we think them to be as
good to bathe in &c. as any other ever yet found in the United
States. a handsom green or Small meadow on the creek near
S? Springs. a little above we could not git along the Indian
trail for the timber which had been blown down in a thicket of
pine &c. So we went around a hill came on the trail again and
proceeded on untill about 11 oClock and halted to dine and let
our horses feed on the main fork of the creek where was Sev-
eral beaver dams. Cap‘ Lewis and the men who Stayed back
to hunt their horses joined us, but had not found them our
hunters gone on a head the mountains rough and rocks which
appear above the timber like towers in Some places. the day
proved pleasant. we proceeded on assended a high mountain,
over took the hunters. they had killed a Deer. 2 of them
Sent back after Capt Lewis’s horse. we crossed the dividing
ridge found it only about half a mile from the head Spring of
the water running East to a branch running west. each head-
ing on an open Swamp, which is level and full of Springs,
Came [blank space in MS.] miles this day and Camped on the
branch running west where we had good feed for our horses.

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Frozen Moccasins and Snow on the Morning Climb

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:18 +0000

the morning clear but verry cold our mockersons froze
hard. the mountains covred with Snow. 2 mountain Sheep
[ 148 ]
1805] WHITEHOUSE’S JOURNAL
Seen by one of the men. we delayed untill about 8 oClock
A. M. then Set out and assended a mountain without any thing
to eat. the Snow lay on the mou! So that it kep on our
mockisons_ the air verry cold our fingers aked with the cold.
we [de]scended the mountain down a rough rockey way and
along through a large thicket of bolsom fer timber in which
we killed a dozen fessents then descended down in to a large
valley on a branch and halted to dine our hunter killed a
Deer. Saw fresh Indian Sign. we Eat our deer. our Indian
guide and the young Indian who accompanied him Eat the
paunch and all the Small guts of the Deer. we then proceeded
on down the valley towards evening we arived at a large
Encampment of the flat head nation which is a large band of
the nation of about 40 lodges. they have between 4 and 500
well looking horses now feeding in this valley or plain in our
view. they received us as friends and appeared to be glad to
See us. 2 of our men who were a hunting came to their
lodges first the natives Spread a white robe over them and
put their arms around their necks, as a great token of friend-
ship. then Smoaked with them. when Cap! Lewis and Cap!
Clark ari[ved] they Spread white robes over their Shoulders
and Smoaked with them. our officers told them that they
would Speak with them tomorrow and tell them our business
and where we are going &c. the natives are light Com-
plectioned decent looking people the most of them well
cloathed with M? Sheep and other Skins. they have buffalow
Robes leather lodges to live in, but have no meat at this time.
but gave us abundance of their dryed fruit Such as Servis
berrys cherries different kinds of roots all of which eat verry
well. they tell us that we can go in 6 days to where white
traders come and that they had Seen bearded men who came
[from] a river to the North of us 6 days march but we have
4 mountains to cross before we come on that River. our
hunters killed another Deer this evening. Came [blank space
in MS.] miles to day and pitched our Camp on the plain near
the Creek on the right of the Indians lodges. considerable of
large pitch pine in the valley.
[ 149 ]
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _[Sept. 5

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Hauling Canoe and Baggage to Upper Portage Camp

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:11 +0000

a fair pleasant morning. the wind as usal. the party all
raised up eairly. Cap! Lewis and Clark with all the party
except 3 Set out with a waggon & baggage to take the canoe
& loading which was halled on the hill yesterday up to the
upper end of the portage, where we Shall form a Camp. Capt
Lewis & 3 or 4 men carried all their baggage in order to Stay
up their, in order to git the Iron boat in readiness &c. the
buffalow around the lower Camp verry thick Some gangs
Swam the River Cap! Clarks Servant york killed one which
was verry fat. Cap! Clark informed us that he Saw 40 or 50
Swimming the River ab’ the falls and Some went down over
them which he could not See them rise any more. a nomber
got to Shore half drowned. in this way great numbers of
those animels are lost and accounts for So many as we Saw
lying on the Shores below the falls ever Since we came from
[ 105 ]
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _ [June 23
the Mandans & Grossvauntares but a vast deal pleantier near
them. the country in general is verry high. no timber back
from the river and but verry little on the river, but bluffs &
high Clifts the most of the Shores. we are a little South of
the Mandans, but have had no verry hot weather as yet.

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Rain Prompts Spirits; Lewis Kills Fat Buffalo

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:09 +0000

cloudy. we Set off as usal. the canoes crossed the river
& the men went for the meat which was killed last night.
one of the hunters killed an Elk. we proceeded on. ab‘
11 oC. began to rain, rained moderately for Some time. we
passed verry high clifts of rocks, halted at 12 oC. to dine.
our Captains gave each man a draughm of Spirits as it was
wet. Cap! Lewis killed a fat buffaloe, & Some of the hunters
killed 2 more but lost one of them in the river. ab! 1 oC.
we proceeded on passed high white clifts of rocks & Some
pinecles [pinnacles] which is 100 feet high from the Surface
of the water. Some verry high black walls of Stone also on
each Side of the river, which is curious to see. we Saw a
brown bear on the N.S. Some of the hunters went out in
order to kill it. passed Straight white clifts of rocks on the
S. Side Came 17% miles & Camped at a handsom bottom
covered with c. wood timber on the N. S. which was the first
timber we Saw to day except a fiew Scatering trees along the
Shore and a fiew ceeders on the hills. the current has been
Swift all this day. the hunters came in at dark had killed 1
black taild Deer 2 Ibex or mountain Sheep (rams) which had
handsom large horns. we took care of the horns in order to
take them back to the U. States. a pleasant evening. (one
man Saw a large pond or Small lake, out in the plains on
South Side.)

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Black-Tailed Deer Killed; Buffalo Shot in River

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:15:01 +0000

we Set off eairly. a clear day. we passed handsom large
bottoms on Each Side covered with timber j? Fields killed
a black tailed Deer & hung it up on the bank of the river.
Cap! Clark & 2 men went out to hunt on N.S. at noon we
Saw Some buffaloe Swimming the river. we Stoped and
Killed 2 of them. proceeded on. Cap! Lewis and Drewyer
went to hunt on an Island opposit to this Isl‘ comes in
River called the Souix pass over of the three Rivers. at the
upper end of the Same Is? comes in a creek called Elm Creek
up the bluffs ab! 2 miles comes in another Creek called wash
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _[Sept. 20
creek. Cap! Lewis and Drewyer Came to the Boat again.
about 2 miles we pass? another creek called night Creek, at
which place we Camped on the South Side. Here Drewyer
came to us had killed 2 deer of the black tal kind.

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Stray Horse Found; Strong Current Impedes Progress

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:14:42 +0000

Set out verry erley this morning under a Jentel Breas from
the South found a Stray Horse on the South Side how Had
Ben Lost for Som time water verry Strong So Hard that
we Could Hardley Stem it Came 10 miles Campt on the
South Side the Land is verry mirey
Wensday Fuly 4%* 1804
Set out verry erley this morning passed the mouth of a
Beyeu leading from a Lake on the N. Side this Lake is Large
and was once the Bead of the River it reaches Parrelel for
Several miles Came to on the South Side to Dine rest a
Short time a Snake Bit Jo. Fieldes on the Side of the foot
which Sweled much apply Barks to Coor [cure] and passed a
Creek on the South Side a bout 15 yards wide Coming out of
an extensive Prarie as the Creek has no name and this Day
is the 4″ of July we name this Independance Creek above
this Creek the wood Land is about 200 yards Back of these
wood is an extensive Praria open and High whigh may be
Seen Six or Seven below saw Grat nomber of Goslins to day
nearley Grown the Last mentioned prairie I call Jo. Fieldes
Snake prarie Cap! Lewis walked on Shore we camped at one
of the Butifules Praries I ever Saw open and butifulley Divided
with Hills and vallies all presenting themselves
‘Thursday Fuly 5* 1804
Set out errley this morning Swam ouer Stray Horse a Cross
the River to Join our other Horses prossed on for two miles
LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNALS _ [July 6
under the Bank of the old Kansas village formaley Stood in
1724 the couse of the Indians moving from this place I cant
Larn but natreley Concluded that war has reduced thair nation
and Compelled them to Retir further in to the Plaines with a
view of Defending themselves and to operserve their enemey
and to Defende them Selves on Horse Back encampt on the
South Side

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Lewis and Drouillard Kill Deer and Groundhog

Tue, 05 May 2026 15:14:39 +0000

Set out at 4 oclock P m the for part of the day Clear the
Latter part Clouday with thunder and Rain wind from Es’ |
Capt Lewis and G. Drureay went hunting Kild one Deer &
Grown hog 4 miles to River murrow on the South Saide it
is about 30 yardes wide and High Cliftes on the Loer Side of
it 3 hundered yardes up the River Cliftes encamped at the
mouth on the South Side ouer hunters Kild one Deer

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