The Lewis and Clark Expedition
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 • Native Americans
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Location. 39° 46.853′ N, 94° 52.551′ W. Marker is in St. Joseph, Missouri, in Buchanan County. Marker is adjacent to the French Bottom Public Fishing Access to the Missouri River, about 1000 feet north of the Remington Nature Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1502 MacArthur Drive, Saint Joseph MO 64505, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Joseph Robidoux at Roy's Branch (approx. ¼ mile away); The Men of the Corps of Discovery / The Lewis and Clark Expedition (approx. half a mile away); A Path To Freedom (approx. 0.9 miles away); St. Joseph (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fort Smith (approx. 0.9 miles away); Pony Express (approx. 1.3 miles away); Joseph Robidoux (approx. 1.3 miles away); The California - Oregon Trail (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Joseph.
Also see . . .
1. Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. (Submitted on October 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Discovering Lewis & Clark. (Submitted on October 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. (Submitted on October 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 386 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
