During the first part of the nineteenth century there were a number of formal American expeditions to explore Indian country—a country which was very familiar to Indians, but unknown to most Americans. These expeditions and the reports which they generated were often part marketing surveys in which they evaluated the economic potential of newly acquired lands, part boosterism for the expansion of American territory, and part justification for “taming the wilderness.” The most famous of these expeditions was the Corps of Discovery under the leadership of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Fort Lewis in Washington is named for Meriwether Lewis and the Lewis Army Museum includes an exhibit about Lewis and Clark.
According to the Museum:
“After traveling for two and a half years, the Corps reached the Pacific Ocean, at the mouth of the Columbia River, in November 1805. The expedition, led by Army Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, kept meticulous journals of its experiences and findings. On the Pacific coast the explorers found a land rich with natural resources and home to thousands of native people.”
According to the Museum:
“The Lewis and Clark Expedition helped establish American Interests in the Pacific Northwest. In the coming years, the U.S. Army continued to play an important role in the exploration and mapping of the Pacific Northwest, surveying routes for wagon roads, and later railroads. The contributions of
Capt. Meriwether Lewis were later recognized by the naming of this Army fort in his honor.”
According to the Museum:
“Most of the members of the Corps of Discovery were volunteer soldiers of the U.S. Army. As soldiers, they had the discipline and training to complete the journey from the St. Lois area to the Pacific Coast and back. They brought their dress uniforms with them and would wear them at military ceremonies and when meeting with the various Indian Tribes along the route.”
The primary weapon carried by the soldiers was a .49 caliber smoothbore French musket made at the U.S. Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts.
Trade goods and medals
While the Corps of Discover was a military expedition, one of its primary goals was to maintain peace with the American Indian nations they encountered so that economic trade could be established with them. For this purpose, they carried with them trade goods, such as brass gorgets, beads, and pipe tomahawks, and special “peace” medals for the Indian leaders.
More Museums
Museums 101: Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (Photo Diary)
Lewis Army Museum: World War I (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: The Korean War (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: The Vietnam War (photo diary)
Lewis Army Museum: The Indian Wars (photo diary)
Veterans Memorial Museum: The Korean War (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Lewis and Clark through paintings (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Sacajawea Museum (Photo Diary)
Note: These photographs were taken on March 9, 2023.