White Cloud in Doniphan County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 1, 2011
1. The Lewis and Clark Expedition Marker
In 1804-06, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led about 40 soldiers and boatmen on an epic journey. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned this "Corps of Discovery" to find a route to the Pacific Ocean through the newly acquired Louisiana territory. Along the way, they mapped the land, recorded its resources, and contacted its native inhabitants.
The landscape has changed since Lewis and Clark explored it: rivers have been dammed, forests cut over, prairies plowed under, and roads built to the horizon. Although remnants of wilderness still exist, imagine this land as Lewis and Clark first saw it two centuries ago.
The United States purchased the Louisiana territory - more than 830,000 square miles - from France in 1803. President Jefferson selected Meriwether Lewis (far left) to lead an expedition there.
With Jefferson's permission, Lewis asked his friend and former commanding officer, William Clark (left), to be co-leader. Although opposite in temperament, they worked harmoniously throughout the two-year journey.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities
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Location. 39° 58.715′ N, 95° 17.645′ W. Marker is in White Cloud, Kansas, in Doniphan County. It is on State Highway 7 near Main Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is under the pavilion in the riverfront park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: White Cloud KS 66094, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: "the water contains a half Glass of ooze" (a few steps from this marker); Homeland of the Kanza Indians (a few steps from this marker); Glacial Hills Scenic Byway (within shouting distance of this marker); July 10, 1804 (within shouting distance of this marker); Wilbur Chapman (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Point of Beginning, Public Land Surveys of the Sixth Principal Meridian (approx. 2½ miles away in Nebraska); Kansas & Nebraska: From Wilderness to Statehood (approx. 2½ miles away); The Cast Iron Monument (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in White Cloud.
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Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 1, 2011
2. The Lewis and Clark Expedition Marker
Regarding The Lewis and Clark Expedition. Map and Portrait photos copied from an indentical marker in Atchison, Kansas.
Also see . . .
1. Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Discovering Lewis and Clark. Website homepage (Submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Website homepage (Submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
4. The Lewis and Clark Expedition. National Archives website entry (Submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 11, 2024
3. The Lewis and Clark Expedition Marker
Photographed by National Park Service
4. Map on The Lewis and Clark Expedition Marker
Photographed by Unknown
5. Portraits The Lewis and Clark Expedition Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 788 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 3, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 3. submitted on July 23, 2024, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4, 5. submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
