Meriwether Lewis Explorer of the Western Frontier

Meriwether Lewis early childhood

The family of Meriwether Lewis owned a plantation in Virginia. He was the second of three children in the family. His older sister was Jane, and later his little brother Reuben would join the family. He was born August 18, 1774 and given the first name of Meriwether, which was his mother's maiden name. His father William Lewis had been a lieutenant in the Continental Army. William died when Meriwether was only five years old. His mother remarried and Captain John Marks became his stepfather. The captain decided the family should move to Georgia, so they left the plantation in the care of a relative and moved.

When Meriwether was 13 years old he returned to Virginia to go to school, and he also was taught how to manage the 2,000 acre plantation his father had willed to him.

When he was growing up he enjoyed hunting and exploring the woods. The family allowed him to pursue his interests, and sometimes he would go out alone in the woods at night. He went exploring in all kinds of weather. This kind of training would prove valuable to him in later years.

Lewis the man

When Meriwether was 18 years old his stepfather died and his mother moved back to Virginia. Lewis, now a man, was able to manage the plantation by himself. Later he enlisted in the Virginia Volunteer Corps and distinguished himself in the service. He was promoted to lieutenant and then to captain.

Thomas Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis

Thomas Jefferson was a near neighbor of the Lewis family and had watched Meriwether grow up. He liked the qualities he saw in the young man and asked him to become his personal secretary when he became President of the United States. So Meriwether moved to Washington and lived in the White House with the President . He was paid $500 a year and given room and board. This was an exceptional opportunity for Meriwether and placed him in a position to receive later opportunities.

Jefferson knew the vast country must be explored and he wanted to find a trade route to the west coast, so he planned an expedition to explore the land from the Mississippi River westward to the Pacific Ocean. It would need financial backing so he asked Congress for $2,500 to fund the project. A year earlier in 1803 the United States had bought over 800,000 square miles of land from France for $15,000,000. It was called the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and his partner on the expedition, Will Clark, would cross this land.

The President didn't send him out unprepared. He groomed him by schooling him with great teachers. He studied botany, fossils, mathematics, and astronomy. Will Clark was chosen to accompany him and Lewis insisted the two of them each be referred to as captains of the expedition.

Preparing for the expedition

Meriwether prepared three boats; a large 55 foot keelboat and two smaller ones, pirogues. They had to carry a lot of supplies for such a long expedition. They needed supplies and ammunition; six tons, 12,000 pounds in all. The gunpowder was encased in lead containers. When the gunpowder was used up from each container they could melt the container down and make bullets for their guns. Included in the supplies were trinkets, beads, and mirrors which would be gifts for the Indians they would encounter.

Two important people who joined them at the Mandan Indian villages were Touissant Charbonneau and his Shoshone wife Sacagawea. He had bought her as a slave from the Blackfoot Indians who had kidnapped her from her people.

Sacagawea was the interpreter for the group when they came in contact with the natives. The fact that she had a tiny baby, just two months old when she joined the expedition, was also helpful. When the natives saw the young mother with the group they did not feel threatened by the strangers. Her presence opened doors for them.

Hardships on the expedition

Their journey began on May 14, 1804. There were 50 men in the Corps of Discovery. They suffered many hardships as they navigated the Missouri River, crossed the Stony (Rockie) Mountains, and followed the Columbia River to the west coast of the country to their first view of the Pacific Ocean. During the year and a half it had taken them to make the trip Meriwether had kept a detailed journal of events. He had drawn maps, collected plant specimens, and managed to pass peacefully through the Indian territory on their way.

It would take another eighteen months for them to return.

The return home after three years

When they returned home all the men who had accompanied them were paid in money and gifts of land. A record was made of each man's name so their accomplishment would not be forgotten.

Congress gave Meriwether 1,500 acres of land and made him governor of all the Louisiana Territory. His co-captain Will Clark was given 1,000 acres of land and they made him Indian Agent and gave him the title Brigadier General.

The end of the story

The end of the story is different for each of the two men, however. Three years after their return Meriwether Lewis died tragically from gunshot wounds on October 11, 1809. Was he murdered or did he commit suicide? Through the years much has been written about whether the wounds were self-inflicted. Will Clark on the contrary married, had a family, became governor of the Missouri Territory and lived to be 68 years old.