Shawnee County – Topeka -- 6425 SW Sixth Avenue – Kansas Center for Historical Research, Gallery 106
Portable display
[Panel 1]
Lewis and Clark in Kansas:
"A high butifull Prarie"
The Corps of Discovery
Lewis and Clark's expedition is known as "The Corps of Discovery" because of its mission to find a water
passage to the Pacific Ocean. President Jefferson also wanted them to learn about North American tribes
and record everything they saw in the vast new land.
The expedition lasted more than two years. Lewis and Clark hoped to travel the entire route by water but
confronted two large obstacles -- the Great Falls of the Missouri River (five waterfalls in Montana) and the
Rocky Mountains. Scaling the Rockies alone took 3 1/2 months on horseback. When the Pacific finally was
sighted in November 1805, Clark wrote in his journal, “Ocian in view! O! the joy."
After a cold, rainy winter in Oregon, the corps began the long trip back. They received a hero's welcome in
St. Louis on September 23, 1806. Although they hadn't discovered a water route to the Pacific, their
exploration made the West less formidable to settlers and traders.
Two centuries ago a great expedition entered what is now Kansas. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
lead this "Corps of Discovery" on its mission to explore the Louisiana Purchase.
President Thomas Jefferson had just acquired this territory for the United States in 1803. He hoped Lewis
and Clark would find a water route to the Pacific Ocean, thereby opening new trade with Asia.
Their journey of 8,000 miles helped open the West to white settlement and changed the course of American
history.
"The object of your mission is to exploe the Missouri River, and such principal streams of it, (which) may
offer the most direct and practible water-communication across the continent, for the purposes of
commerce."
-Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis, June 20, 1803
[painting]
Lewis & Clark at Three Forks by E. S. Paxson, 1912, Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
Both Lewis and Clark were army officers. Soldiers made up most of the Corps of Discovery, but the group
also included French boatmen, a slave, and eventually a Shoshone woman and her baby.
Meriwether Lewis (center) was Jefferson's personal secretary when asked to lead the expedition. His
mother, a noted herb doctor, encouraged Lewis' interest in plants. This knowledge was helpful on the
expedition while collecting specimens and describing new species.
William Clark (left) was invited by Lewis to share command of the corps. He learned map making in the
army during the Revolutionary War, and the accurate maps he created on this journey are very important.
They helped guide settlers and traders into the new territory.
York (far left), Clark's slave, was called a man of "big medicine" by Indians who had never seen an
African American. For his valuable contributions to the corps, York gained his freedom following the
expedition.
1
Sacagawea (right), a Shoshone Indian, joined the expedition in present-day North Dakota in 1805. She
served as an interpreter and helped trade for horses to cross the Rocky Mountains.
[photo]
A new golden dollar coin honors Sacagawea's role in the Corps of Discovery. Just 15 years old when she
joined the expedition, the Shoshone woman carried her new-born baby from North Dakota to the Pacific
Ocean and back.
Best known for her translating skills, Sacagawea also guided the corps through unfamiliar territory and
saved supplies and journals from being swept overboard. Lewis and Clark thought very highly of her.
[Panel 2]
May 21, 1804
Corps of Discovery set forth from St. Charles (Missouri).
June 26 – July 10, 1804
Lewis and Clark passed through present-day Kansas on their way up the Missouri River.
October 1804 – March 1805
Winter camp among the Mandan Indians (North Dakota). Sacagawea joined the corps.
April 7, 1805
Lewis and Clark continued their journey after sending back a keelboat loaded with specimens and journals
to President Jefferson.
November 1805 – March 1806
Corps arrived at Pacific Ocean and set up winter camp in present-day Oregon.
March 23, 1806
Return journey began. Going downstream with the river current made the return trip much faster.
July 3 – August 12, 1806
Corps split up to explore more territory.
August 17, 1806
Sacagawea left the expedition at the Mandan villages (North Dakota).
September 11 - 15, 1806
Lewis and Clark passed through present-day Kansas on the return journey.
September 23, 1806
Corps of Discovery arrived in St. Louis.
[map] The Routes of Lewis and Clark
The Kansas Journal Entries
Lewis and Clark were in Kansas for just 123 miles. They passed through northeastern Kansas along the
Missouri River on both the original and return journeys.
The corps' tour of Montana, Idaho, and Oregon was very important. They traveled through country never
before seen by whites. In Kansas, though, they were on familiar ground. Other explorers and traders knew
this territory fairly well, and there were even rough maps of the route.
2
Because this was a scientific expedition, Lewis and Clark described unfamiliar flora and fauna in extensive
journals. Detailed maps and drawings fill the pages, along with descriptions of rocks, minerals, and land
formations.
June 26 the Tuesday 1804
we Set out early, the river falling a little, the wind from the S. W. Passed the mouth of a Small river on the
L[eft] Side above the upper point of a Small Island, Called Blue water river, this river heads in Praries
back with the Mine River about 30 yds. wide....we Killed a large rattle Snake, Sunning himself in the bank,
passed a bad Sand bar, where our tow rope broke twice, & with great exertions we rowed around it and
Came to & Camped in the Point above the Kansas River. I observed a great number of Parrot queets this
evening.
William Clark
[Panel 3]
This was the first camp of the expedition in present-day Kansas.
Today this site is located in Kansas City (Wyandotte County). The bird Clark mentions is the Carolina
parakeet, now extinct.
Rules of spelling and grammar were not well established in the early 1800s and Clark's spelling and
capitalization make some of the entries difficult to read.
June 27th Wednesday
a fair warm morning, the river rose a little last night. we determin to delay at this Place three or four Days
to make observations & recruit the party. Several men out Hunting, unloaded one Perogue, and turned her
up to Dry with a view of repairing her.... The Countrey about the mouth of this river is verry fine.
William Clark
[photo]
Site of Lewis and Clark's first camp in Kansas as it appears today.
There are no photographs of the original expedition because cameras were not invented until the late 1830s.
Photo Credit: John Charlton
Lewis and Clark camped at the mouth of the Kansas River for several days. Impressed with the scene, they
commented on the abundance of game and beauty of the prairie.
Much of the journal entries dealt with the day-to-day business of setting up camp and hunting for food.
There also were measurements of latitude and longitude and notes on geographical features, later used to
create maps.
28 June Thursday
repaired the Perogue. Cleaned out the [keel]Boat....in examineing our private Store of Provisions we found
Several articles Spoiled from the wet or dampness they had received....the waters of the Kansas is verry
disigreeably tasted to me.
William Clark
Unfortunately, there are no known journals of Meriwether Lewis in Kansas. These entries by William
Clark, though, give an interesting and complete picture of what the corps saw in Kansas. The region left a
very favorable impression.
[Panel 4]
3
June 29th 1804
a Court-martial will Set this day at 11 oClock. ... The Court Convened agreeable to order and proceeded to
the trial of the Prisoners Viz John Collins Charged "with getting drunk on his post this morning out of
whiskey put under his Charge as a Sentinal" ... The Court after mature deliberation on the evidence
abduced &c. are of oppinion that the prisoner is Guilty of the Charge exibited against him, and do
therefore Sentence him to recive one hundred Lashes on his bear Back.William Clark
30th June
Deer to be Seen in every direction and their tracks ar plenty as Hogs about a farm, our hunt[er]s Killed 9
Deer to day.
[painting]
The Jolly Flatboatmen in Port by George Caleb Bingham, 1857. Courtesy of The Saint Louis Art
Museum.
Discipline was swift on the expedition because Lewis and Clark needed to establish their military authority
over the men and forge them into a unit.
On the night of June 28, two privates tapped into a whiskey barrel and got drunk. This behavior was
particularly offensive to the other men who knew that there was not enough whiskey to last the entire trip.
The privates were arrested at dawn, court-martialled at 11 a.m., and flogged at 3:30 p.m. By late afternoon
both men were at their oars as the party continued up the Missouri River.
July 1st, Sunday 1804
delayed three hours to refresh the men who were verry much over powered with the heat, Great quantity of
Grapes & raspberries. ... a high butifull Prarie on the L[eft]. S[ide]. ... paecaun [pecan] Trees Seen on the
S[outh].S [ide]. Deer and turkeys in great quantities on the bank.
William Clark
[painting]
Buffalo Bull Grazing by George Catlin, ca. 1850s. National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming.
Rations were distributed and cooked each evening. Hominy and lard were doled out one day, salt pork and
flour the next, cornmeal and pork the day after, and so on. The men quickly became bored with the diet.
Fresh meat and fruit provided some welcome variety. Buffalo hump and tongue quickly became a favorite
meal when one of the animals was shot in late August, shortly after the corps left the Kansas area.
The corps carried compasses, sextants, and quadrants for surveying the land, as well as platting instruments
and books on map making.
Creating maps of the new territory was an important undertaking. President Jefferson hoped the corps
would discover a water passage to the Pacific Ocean, making accurate maps of the route essential.
[map]
Map drawn by Lewis and Clark, circa 1804.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.
[Panel 5]
July 2nd, 1804
4
we Camped after dark on the S[outh] S[ide] above the Island & opposit the 1st old village of the Kanzes
which was Situated in a valley, between two points of high Land, and imediatly on the river bank, back of
the village and on a riseing ground at about one mile. The French had a garrison for Some time and made
use of water out of a Spring running into Turkey Creek. An extensive Prarie. As the current of the river sets
against the banke and washes it away, the landing place for Boats is indifferent.William Clark
In this journal entry Clark mentions the ruins of a French fort dating from 1744-1764. Many tribes were
trading partners with the French during the 1600s and 1700s. They swapped pelts for clothing, metal
utensils, alcohol, and guns.
Just one year before Lewis and Clark passed these ruins, the United States had purchased the territory from
the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte. The cost of $15 million amounted to under three cents an acre.
The Louisiana Purchase was a great bargain for the United States and it served Bonaparte well. Selling the
land to America kept it from England, France's major rival.
July 4th, Wednesday
ussered in the day by a discharge of one shot from our Bow piece, proceeded on, ... Fields got bit by a
Snake, which was quickly doctered with Bark by Cap. Lewis. Passed a Creek 12 yds. wide on L[eft] S[ide]
comeing out of an extensive Prarie reching within 200 yards of the river, as this Creek has no name, and
this being the 4th of July the day of the independence of the U.S., call it 4th of July 1804 Creek. . . . We
came to and camped in the lower edge of a Plain where 2d old Kanzas village formerly Stood, above the
mouth of a Creek 20 yds wide. this creek we call Creek Independence.
William Clark
One event on the corp's journey stands out above the rest. By discharging a cannon and naming two creeks,
Lewis and Clark marked the first Fourth of July celebrated west of the Mississippi River.
Fourth of July Creek and Independence Creek still flow today near Atchison.
[drawing]
The Store of the Trading Post from Appleton's Journal, August 13, 1870. Courtesy of Denver Public
Library.
[flag]
United States flag, 1795 - 1818.
[painting]
Afterglow on the Prairie by George Inness. Courtesy of The Anschutz Collection.
July 4th Wednesday 1804 (contd.)
We Camped in the plain, one of the most butifull Plains, I ever Saw, open & butifully diversified with hills
&vallies all presenting themselves to the river covered with grass and a few scattering trees. a handsom
Creek meandering thro. . . . Groops of Shrubs covered with the most delicious froot is to be seen in every
direction, and nature appears to have exerted herself to butify the Senery by the variety of flours Delicately
and highly flavered raised above the Grass, which Strikes and profumes the Sensation, and amuses the
mind.
William Clark
[Panel 6]
[panel 8]
5
The Missouri River's strong current and frequent sandbars and snags tried the corps on both the original and
return trips. Frequent boat repairs were necessary.
[painting]
White Bears & White Cliffs by Robert F. Morgan, 1988. Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society.
Sunday 14th Sept. 1806
Set out early and proceeded on very well. this being part of the Missouri the Kanzas nation resort to at this
Season of the year for the purpose f robbing the perogues passing up to other nations above, . . . it is
probable they may wish to take those liberties with us, which we are deturmined not to allow of and for the
Smallest insult as Shall fire on them. . . . at 2 P.M. a little below the lower of the old Kanzas Village we met
three large boats bound to the Yanktons. . . . those young men received us with great friendship and pressed
on us Some whisky for our men, Bisquet, Pork and Onions, & part of their Stores, we continued near 2
hours with those boats, makeing every enquirey into the state of our friends and Country &c. . . . our party
received a dram and Sung Songs untill 11 oClock at night in the greatest harmoney.
William Clark
On the return trip in Kansas, the expedition encountered parties of traders coming up the Missouri nearly
every day. Excitement built as home drew near.
Lewis and Clark were very concerned about losing the samples and specimens collected during the journey.
Their journals recorded valuable observations about the soil, minerals, plants, animals, and climate. Their
maps would chart a course for future explorers and settlers.
On this day, September 14, Lewis collected the last specimen of the expedition. He registered a Raccoon
Grape Leaf (a native variety of grape vine) near present-day Leavenworth.
[painting]
Fur Traders Descending the Missouri
George Caleb Bingham
1846
[panel 9]
On the morning of September 15, 1806, Lewis and Clark passed the present-day Kansas-Missouri border
and continued down the Missouri River toward St. Louis.
In 1808 Clark returned to the site mentioned in this journal entry to build Fort Osage overlooking the
Missouri River. One of the first outposts and trading houses in the Louisiana Purchase, until 1818 it was the
westernmost fort operated by the U. S. government.
Today, the reconstructed Fort Osage is operated as a historic site in Sibley, Missouri. It is open to the
public from April through mid-November.
Monday 15th of September 1806
we set out early with a Stiff Breeze a head, saw Several deer Swimming the river soon after we set out. at
11 A.M. passed the enterance of the Kanzas river which was very low. about a mile below we landed and
Capt Lewis and my Self assended a hill which appeared to have a Commanding situation for a fort, the
Shore is bold and rocky imediately at the foot of the hill. from the top of the hill you have a perfect
Command of the river.
William Clark
[photo]
Courtesy of Fort Osage National Historic Landmark, Jackson County Parks and Recreation
[photo]
6
Pawpaws grow in the wild in Kansas.
Monday 15th of September 1806 (contd.)
we landed one time only to let the men gather Pappaws or the Custard apple of which this Country
abounds, and the men are very fond of. we discovered a Buck Elk on a Small Island, and sent the 2 fields
and Shannon in pursute of it. they Soon Came up with and killed the Elk, he was large and in fine order we
had his flesh Secured and divided.
William Clark
Pawpaws are the largest edible fruit native to the United States. Their flavor is a sweet tropical blend with
hints of mango and banana.
At this point, Lewis and Clark had very few provisions left and the nutritious pawpaw was a very tasty
meal for hungry men. The corps was anxious to reach home and hear news of loved ones. They arrived in
St. Louis just eight days later.
[Panel 10]
Unspeakable Joy
Twenty-eight arduous months after setting off, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to a triumphant
welcome in St. Louis on September 23, 1806. President Jefferson wrote of his "unspeakable joy" upon
hearing of their return.
Lewis and Clark's journey quickly achieved legendary status. They traveled over 8,000 miles and set up
camp 600 times. The corps established friendly relations with Native American tribes. They discovered 178
new plants and 122 species and subspecies of animals. Their journals and extensive maps opened the door
for America's westward expansion.
Celebrate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
The bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark expedition begins in 2004. This nationally
recognized event will be celebrated in Kansas, one of the eleven original trail states.
Look for updates on bicentennial events on the Kansas State Historical Society's home page,
www.kshs.org. Learn more about Lewis and Clark’s adventures on the official bicentennial Web site for
the Corp of Discovery, www.lewisandclark.org.
This exhibit was produced by the Kansas State Historical Society and is available through the Kansas
Interpretive Traveling Exhibit Service [KITES]. For more information call (785) 272-8681, x414.
[painting]
Frances F. Palmer, artist
Published by Currier & Ives
Across the Continent: "Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way"
Colored lithograph 1868
Museum of the City of New York
Harry T. Peters Collection
56.300.107
7