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When President Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, America was young. The spirit of rebellion still was alive. Jefferson worried that Americans west of the Appalachians — more closely tied to each through river trade than their brethren to the east — might secede from the union. Jefferson and others also wondered what opportunities for this growing nation lie west.
It was amid this turmoil that Jefferson asked Meriwether Lewis to undertake an exploration of the Missouri River in search of a Northwest passageway to the Pacific Ocean. The President also asked him to record the plants, animals, soils, minerals and people of this undocumented region.
Not long after Lewis began making preparations, the historic Louisiana Purchase was announced. It secured the prized New Orleans port and increased the mission’s importance: Lewis now would explore American lands.
In Clarksville, Ind., just across the river from Louisville, Ky., William Clark joined Lewis as his co-captain and together handpicked a group of men for the journey. This brave group would come to be known as the Corps of Discovery.
As Lewis traveled westward along the Ohio River, he made his first natural history report: A sighting of migrating squirrels swimming from north to south across the river. These migrations today are all but a memory, demonstrating partly why this mission’s many documents — from journal entries to detailed maps — are so valuable today. They provide a pristine record of the then-unchanged natural world.
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In Their Own Words... |
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“The annexation of Louisiana … gave a new face to politics, and ranked in historical importance next to the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of the Constitution."
~ Henry Adams, historian
and philosopher | | Together, these documents help us understand the changes European settlement brought to the American landscape and its many habitats — from what remains to what was lost. This understanding can provide a framework for the future, as The Nature Conservancy works to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth.
Next: Setting Off: The Missouri River | 
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