Lewis and Clark
by George Bailey
Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark set out on May 14th, 1804, on arguably the most famous expedition in American history. President Thomas Jefferson had shown eagerness for exploration of the Pacific Northwest, and his completion of the controversial Louisiana Purchase provided an opportune moment for such an endeavor. Jefferson was concerned about activities of Native Americans and French fur traders west of the Mississippi. At this point, land west of Missouri was essentially unknown to Americans. Jefferson hired Lewis personally and the latter elected Clark, whose relatively low military ranking he was obliged to keep secret from their crew. Clark met up with Lewis’s team in Saint Charles, Missouri (About 2 hours from Branson Missouri). From there the two explorers along with approximately forty crewmen embarked on the Corps of Discovery. Hence the fascination Missourians in particular have with the journey; Missouri provided Lewis and Clark with the last taste of civilization they would have before altering our knowledge of the North American continent forever. (The Missouri River would remain Lewis and Clark’s primary topographical point of guidance.)