Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809)

I recalled very little about Lewis and Clark's expedition from my school days, so I when I saw this little paperback at a yard sale I thought I'd give it a read. And I'm glad I did.

While some might feel that reading journal entries from over 200 years ago would be boring or tedious, I found them fascinating. Yes, some of the attitudes could be considered old fashioned or out of date, but many of the interactions between the native tribes and the exploration team were refreshingly respectful show more and compassionate.

And I was never bored.

It could be that the huge volumes produced on this trip by Lewis and Clark might be tough to get through, but the editor waded through the mountains of information to create a satisfying read. show less

On May 14, 1804, at the request of President Thomas Jefferson, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark set out on perhaps the greatest overland adventure in United States history. Their charge was to navigate the Missouri River from St. Louis as far as they could, then reach by any means possible the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, they would be documenting botanical, ecological, biological, geographical and ethnological and cultural experiences as they met and interacted with the show more native american tribes and observed the new flora and fauna of the west. The party included thirty-one other individuals, most with military experience, and a few interpreters -- among them the famed Sacagawea. The expedition was tremendously successful, particularly when viewed from the 21st century. They experienced their fair share of travel-related aches and pains, accidental wounds, and diseases such as dysentery, among other things. Lewis himself was unfortunate enough to be shot in the thigh by "friendly fire" (an amusing incident for the reader, but which could just as easily have been tragic). It's astounding that only one man died -- and he from appendicitis.

At over 400 pages (abridged!), this is a fascinating and incredibly documented adventure story transcribed from the actual diary entries of the expedition members. I rarely found it dry or boring, and suspect that perhaps the slow or uneventful parts were already edited out. English spelling was not yet standardized at the time, and this is evident in some paragraphs where the same word is spelled in a number of different ways, depending apparently on what the writer felt like in the moment. Some of the more intriguing passages involve the interactions between the men and the tribes they meet. Their reception is most often congenial and welcoming, if also a bit wary and, considering what we now know about the United States' future relations, somewhat disturbing. Lewis and Clark's inner thoughts are thick with eurocentric superiority punctuated by rare, brief glimpses recognizing a shared humanity.

The journals are chock full of introspective, amusing and memorable quotes, including these few that I jotted down:
* "men complain verry much of the emence labour they are obliged to undergo & wish much to leave the river." [While hauling canoes over rocky parts of the river]

* "these men then advanced and embraced me very affectionately in their way which is by puting their left arm over you wright shoulder clasping your back, while they apply their left cheek to yours and frequently vociforate the word ah-hi-e, ah-hi-e that is, I am much pleased, I am much rejoiced. Bothe parties now advanced and we wer all carresed and besmeared with their grease and paint till I was heartily tired of the national hug." [meeting the Shoshones]

* "This day I completed my thirty first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this Sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the hapiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation." [Lewis' birthday]

* "Drewyer killed two beaver and shot third which bit his knee very badly and escaped."

* "a Wolf bit Sergt. Pryor through his hand when asleep, and Shannon fortunately Shot him. Sergt. Pryers hand has nearly recovered." show less

There may well be more interesting abridgments, but this version by Anthony Brandt in the National Geographic Adventure Classics is tedious. There's too much repetition of hunting, riverboat navigation, and the like and not enough on the ethnography of the Indian tribes, which would have been a lot more interesting.

A sometimes interesting but often tedious abridged account. The most interesting aspects for me were the relative ignorance and reliance of the members of the expedition on indigenous peoples for food, shelter and navigation.