Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists

Cutright examines the Lewis and Clark Expedition as one of the most significant natural history surveys in American history. The article catalogs the expedition’s discovery and description of approximately 178 plant species and 122 animal species previously unknown to Western science. Cutright details Meriwether Lewis’s botanical training under Benjamin Smith Barton in Philadelphia before the expedition, and how this preparation enabled systematic observation and collection throughout the journey. The article discusses specific discoveries including the grizzly bear, prairie dog, pronghorn antelope, and numerous fish species documented along the Missouri and Columbia river systems. Cutright also addresses the tragic loss of many specimens and the delayed publication of the expedition’s scientific findings, noting that Lewis’s untimely death in 1809 left much of the scientific work unfinished.