Supplying an Expedition – Information for the Student
Meriwether Lewis was initially given $2500 to spend on supplies while he was in
Philadelphia preparing for the upcoming Lewis and Clark Expedition. You will also
have $2,500 to spend in preparation for your trip. You are required to purchase
at least one item from each major category (i.e. Camp Supplies, Gifts for the
Native, etc.), but beyond that the quantities and specific purchases are up to you.
The dog that Lewis purchased, a Newfoundland, is in a category of his own. You
may choose to purchase a dog or not purchase one.
There is no advantage to not spending all of your allotted money; Congress will
merely re-appropriate any unspent funds, but it will not do you any good later on
your journey.
After everyone has made their purchasing decisions, the adventures of the
Expedition will begin. How you do on your journey will be determined by how
prepared you are for the expected and the unexpected.
Jefferson’s Goals:
 Find all-water route to Pacific Ocean
 Tell natives of “Great White Father”
 Present peace medals to all tribes
 Create journals
Supplying an Expedition – Student Sheet
You have $2500 to spend; you may not spend more, and there is no advantage to
spending less. On the list below mark how much of each item you purchased;
leave the quantity space blank if you didn’t buy any of that particular item.
Major Category
Scholarly Resources
Item
Cost
Chronometer (for latitude)
Compass
Telescope
Sextant
Small Cage for Animals
Botany book
Astronomy book
Navigation book
$250
$50
$50
$150
$25
$25
$50
$100
Cloth for tents/sheets
Soap
Portable Soup
Writing Supplies
Barrel of Salt
Mosquito Curtains
Box of Candles
Tools for Camp
(Cruzat’s) Fiddle
$50
$50
$150
$25
$100
$100
$100
$50
$100
Pocket Mirrors
Silk Ribbons
Brass Buttons
Blue Beads
Red and White Beads
$25
$50
$25
$50
$25
Flannel Shirts (1/person)
Shoes (1 pair/person)
$100
$50
Rifle
Lead for bullets
Gunpowder
Knife
Canon
$25
$25
$25
$25
$150
Medicine
Medical Supplies
$50
$50
Newfoundland Dog
$25
Camp Supplies
Gifts for Native Americans
Clothing
Weapons
Medical Equipment
Optional
Quantity Purchased
Reflection Questions:
1. What item types did you prioritize? Why?
2. What items seemed useless or unnecessary? Why?
3. When picking your supplies, where you thinking about
the whole expedition team? Did you focus on people’s
skills/specialties? Explain your thought process while
picking your supplies.
4. What do you think is going to be the hardest part of
the journey? Ex. Food going bad, illness, getting lost,
etc.
5. (Come back to this one after you are done with the
documents/questions) Knowing what you do now, is
there anything you would change about your
packing/planning strategy? Why or why not?