Lewis & Clark Trivia

Brothers Lewis & Clark

We all know who Lewis and Clark were--they lead the Corps of Discovery Expedition across the Pacific Northwest all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  And both men were Freemasons.  Their trek was nearly 8,000 miles and they accomplished it in just over two years.  But there are parts of that journey you may not be aware of.

Faithful companion "Seaman"

~Lewis and Clark were accompanied by a giant Newfoundland dog that weighed somewhere between 110 and 150 pounds.  His name was Seaman, and he made the entire journey.  He often hunted for the explorers, delivering geese, squirrels, and one time an antelope that he caught and drowned in a stream for the men to eat.  He also alerted the camp at night of the approach of grizzly bears and Native American Indian raiders that often stole horses, supplies, and canoes.  He was a very good dog.

~On the return trip home, Lewis was accidentally shot by a member of the Corps of Discovery--one of the party's hunters who was described as blind in one and, and unable to see well out of the other.  He mistook Lewis as an Elk, and shot him in the thigh.

~Despite the long odds, the Corps of Discovery only lost one member of the party.  Sergeant Charles Floyd died of acute appendicitis shortly after the journey began.

~Not only did the Corps of Discovery learn the geography and terrain of the American West, and mapped many of the rivers and streams, but they also learned about 178 plant species and 122 animal species.  They sent many samples they collected back to President Thomas Jefferson--including a live prairie dog!

~Lewis and Clark, by mapping the Northwest territory not only helped establish a claim on the Oregon territory, but because of the great amount of attention the newspapers spent talking about the discoveries of the Corps of Discovery, the idea of Western expansion caught on.  And Jefferson's dream of a nation that stretched from sea to shining sea eventually became a reality.

~TEC