1. Beginner's Luck -- 2. Preparing for the Future -- 3. Grappling with Logistics -- 4. Trial Run -- 5. Facing Reality -- 6. Smoky Water -- 7. Emphasis on Indians -- 8. Into Winter -- 9. The Grand Plan -- 10. Forty Below -- and Far to Go -- 11. Hazards by Water -- 12. The Great Portage -- 13. The Great Divide -- 14. Hunger -- 15. Wild Water -- 16. The Farthest Reach -- 17. Against the Flow -- 18. Peace Mission to the Blackfeet -- 19. Hurrying Home -- 20. Endings -- App. I. Jefferson's Instructions to Lewis -- App. II. The Permanent Party -- App. III. Much Ado About Little -- The Case of the Lydia.
Summary:
"Lavender sets the stage with an account of the imperial rivalries between England, Spain, France, and the United States, and their role in Thomas Jefferson's decision to sponsor an expedition that might strengthen the young country's claims to lands it had purchased but never seen. Lavender then takes us through the steps that led to the selection of Meriwether Lewis as the Corps of Discovery's leader with William Clark as coleader. From there the great adventure story unfolds, and we follow Lewis and Clark and their company on their journey through vast, uncharted territory as they seek a transcontinental route to the Pacific." "From its inception to its conclusion - a triumph made bittersweet by Lewis's suicide only a few years later - we witness the trials, the surprises, the natural wonders, and the successes large and small that the expedition met with day by day over the course of two years and thousands of miles."--Jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.