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First　Across　the　Continent

by　Noah　Brooks

The　Story　of
The　Exploring　Expedition　of　Lewis
and　Clark　in　1804…5…6


Chapter　I

A　Great　Transaction　in　Land

The　people　of　the　young　Republic　of　the　United　States　were　greatly　astonished；　in　the　summer　of　1803；　to　learn　that　Napoleon　Bonaparte；　then　First　Consul　of　France；　had　sold　to　us　the　vast　tract　of　land　known　as　the　country　of　Louisiana。　　The　details　of　this　purchase　were　arranged　in　Paris　（on　the　part　of　the　United　States）　by　Robert　R。　Livingston　and　James　Monroe。　　The　French　government　was　represented　by　Barbe…Marbois；　Minister　of　the　Public　Treasury。

The　price　to　be　paid　for　this　vast　domain　was　fifteen　million　dollars。　The　area　of　the　country　ceded　was　reckoned　to　be　more　than　one　million　square　miles；　greater　than　the　total　area　of　the　United　States；　as　the　Republic　then　existed。　　Roughly　described；　the　territory　comprised　all　that　part　of　the　continent　west　of　the　Mississippi　River；　bounded　on　the　north　by　the　British　possessions　and　on　the　west　and　south　by　dominions　of　Spain。　　This　included　the　region　in　which　now　lie　the　States　of　Louisiana；　Arkansas；　Missouri；　Kansas；　parts　of　Colorado；　Minnesota；　the　States　of　Iowa；　Nebraska；　South　Dakota；　North　Dakota；　Wyoming；　a　part　of　Idaho；　all　of　Montana　and　Territory　of　Oklahoma。　　At　that　time；　the　entire　population　of　the　region；　exclusive　of　the　Indian　tribes　that　roamed　over　its　trackless　spaces；　was　barely　ninety　thousand　persons；　of　whom　forty　thousand　were　negro　slaves。　The　civilized　inhabitants　were　principally　French；　or　descendants　of　French；　with　a　few　Spanish；　Germans；　English；　and　Americans。

The　purchase　of　this　tremendous　slice　of　territory　could　not　be　complete　without　an　approval　of　the　bargain　by　the　United　States　Senate。　　Great　opposition　to　this　was　immediately　excited　by　people　in　various　parts　of　the　Union；　especially　in　New　England；　where　there　was　a　very　bitter　feeling　against　the　prime　mover　in　this　business；Thomas　Jefferson；　then　President　of　the　United　States。　　The　scheme　was　ridiculed　by　persons　who　insisted　that　the　region　was　not　only　wild　and　unexplored；　but　uninhabitable　and　worthless。　They　derided　〃The　Jefferson　Purchase；〃　as　they　called　it；　as　a　useless　piece　of　extravagance　and　folly；　and；　in　addition　to　its　being　a　foolish　bargain；　it　was　urged　that　President　Jefferson　had　no　right；　under　the　constitution　of　the　United　States；　to　add　any　territory　to　the　area　of　the　Republic。

Nevertheless；　a　majority　of　the　people　were　in　favor　of　the　purchase；　and　the　bargain　was　duly　approved　by　the　United　States　Senate；　that　body；　July　31；　1803；　just　three　months　after　the　execution　of　the　treaty　of　cession；　formally　ratified　the　important　agreement　between　the　two　governments。　The　dominion　of　the　United　States　was　now　extended　across　the　entire　continent　of　North　America；　reaching　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　Pacific。　　The　Territory　of　Oregon　was　already　ours。

This　momentous　transfer　took　place　one　hundred　years　ago；　when　almost　nothing　was　known　of　the　region　so　summarily　handed　from　the　government　of　France　to　the　government　of　the　American　Republic。　　Few　white　men　had　ever　traversed　those　trackless　plains；　or　scaled　the　frowning　ranges　of　mountains　that　barred　the　way　across　the　continent。　There　were　living　in　the　fastnesses　of　the　mysterious　interior　of　the　Louisiana　Purchase　many　tribes　of　Indians　who　had　never　looked　in　the　face　of　the　white　man。

Nor　was　the　Pacific　shore　of　the　country　any　better　known　to　civilized　man　than　was　the　region　lying　between　that　coast　and　the　Big　Muddy；　or　Missouri　River。　　Spanish　voyagers；　in　1602；　had　sailed　as　far　north　as　the　harbors　of　San　Diego　and　Monterey；　in　what　is　now　California；　and　other　explorers；　of　the　same　nationality；　in　1775；　extended　their　discoveries　as　far　north　as　the　fifty…eighth　degree　of　latitude。　Famous　Captain　Cook；　the　great　navigator　of　the　Pacific　seas；　in　1778；　reached　and　entered　Nootka　Sound；　and；　leaving　numerous　harbors　and　bays　unexplored；　he　pressed　on　and　visited　the　shores　of　Alaska；　then　called　Unalaska；　and　traced　the　coast　as　far　north　as　Icy　Cape。　　Cold　weather　drove　him　westward　across　the　Pacific；　and　he　spent　the　next　winter　at　Owyhee；　where；　in　February　of　the　following　year；　he　was　killed　by　the　natives。

All　these　explorers　were　looking　for　chances　for　fur…trading；　which　was　at　that　time　the　chief　industry　of　the　Pacific　coast。　Curiously　enough；　they　all　passed　by　the　mouth　of　the　Columbia　without　observing　that　there　was　the　entrance　to　one　of　the　finest　rivers　on　the　American　continent。

Indeed；　Captain　Vancouver；　a　British　explorer；　who　has　left　his　name　on　the　most　important　island　of　the　North　Pacific　coast；　baffled　by　the　deceptive　appearances　of　the　two　capes　that　guard　the　way　to　a　noble　stream　（Cape　Disappointment　and　Cape　Deception）；　passed　them　without　a　thought。　But　Captain　Gray；　sailing　the　good　ship　〃Columbia；〃　of　Boston；　who　coasted　those　shores　for　more　than　two　years；　fully　convinced　that　a　strong　current　which　he　observed　off　those　capes　came　from　a　river；　made　a　determined　effort；　and　on　the　11th　of　May；　1792；　he　discovered　and　entered　the　great　river　that　now　bears　the　name　of　his　ship。　　At　last　the　key　that　was　to　open　the　mountain　fastnesses　of　the　heart　of　the　continent　had　been　found。　The　names　of　the　capes　christened　by　Vancouver　and　re…christened　by　Captain　Gray　have　disappeared　from　our　maps；　but　in　the　words　of　one　of　the　numerous　editors＇1＇　of　the　narrative　of　the　exploring　expedition　of　Lewis　and　Clark：　　〃The　name　of　the　good　ship　‘Columbia；'　it　is　not　hard　to　believe；　will　flow　with　the　waters　of　the　bold　river　as　long　as　grass　grows　or　water　runs　in　the　valleys　of　the　Rocky　Mountains。〃


＇1＇　Dr。　Archibald　McVickar。


It　appears　that　the　attention　of　President　Jefferson　had　been　early　attracted　to　the　vast；　unexplored　domain　which　his　wise　foresight　was　finally　to　add　to　the　territory　of　the　United　States。　　While　he　was　living　in　Paris；　as　the　representative　of　the　United　States；　in　1785…89；　he　made　the　acquaintance　of　John　Ledyard；　of　Connecticut；　the　well…known　explorer；　who　had　then　in　mind　a　scheme　for　the　establishment　of　a　fur…trading　post　on　the　western　coast　of　America。　　Mr。　Jefferson　proposed　to　Ledyard　that　the　most　feasible　route　to　the　coveted　fur…bearing　lands　would　be　through　the　Russian　possessions　and　downward　somewhere　near　to　the　latitude　of　the　then　unknown　sources　of　the　Missouri　River；　entering　the　United　States　by　that　route。　This　scheme　fell　through　on　account　of　the　obstacles　thrown　in　Ledyard's　way　by　the　Russian　Government。　　A　few　years　later；　in　1792；　Jefferson；　whose　mind　was　apparently　fixed　on　carrying　out　his　project；　proposed　to　the　American　Philosophical　Society　of　Philadelphia　that　a　subscription　should　be　opened　for　the　purpose　of　raising　money　〃to　engage　some　competent　person　to　explore　that　region　in　the　opposite　direction　（from　the　Pacific　coast）；　that　is；　by　ascending　the　Missouri；　crossing　the　Stony　＇Rocky＇　Mountains；　and　descending　the　nearest　river　to　the　Pacific。〃　　This　was　the　hint　from　which　originated　the　famous　expedition　of　Lewis　and　Clark。

But　the　story…teller　should　not　forget　to　mention　that　hardy　and　adventurous　explorer；　Jonathan　Carver。　　This　man；　the　son　of　a　British　officer；　set　out　from　Boston；　in　1766；　to　explore　the　wilderness　north　of　Albany　and　lying　along　the　southern　shore　of　the　Great　Lakes。　　He　was　absent　two　years　and　seven　months；　and　in　that　time　he　collected　a　vast　amount　of　useful　and　strange　information；　besides　learning　the　language　of　the　Indians　among　whom　he　lived。　　He　conceived　the　bold　plan　of　travelling　up　a　branch　of　the　Missouri　（or　〃Messorie〃）；　till；　having　discovered　the　source　of　the　traditional　〃Oregon；　or　River　of　the　West；〃　on　the　western　side　of　the　lands　that　divide　the　continent；　〃he　would　have　sailed　down　that　river　to　the　place　where　it　is　said　to　empty　itself；　near　the　Straits　of　Anian。〃

By　the　Straits　of　Anian；　we　are　to　suppose；　were　meant　some　part　of　Behring's　Straits；　separating　Asia　from　the　American　continent。　Carver's　fertile　imagination；　stimulated　by　what　he　knew　of　the　remote　Northwest；　pictured　that　wild　region　where；　according　to　a　modern　poet；　〃rolls　the　Oregon　and　hears　no　sound　save　his　own　dashing。〃　　But　Carver　died　without　the　sight；　in　his　later　years；　he　said　of　those　who　should　follow　his　lead：　〃While　their　spirits　are　elated　by　their　success；　perhaps　they　may　bestow　some　commendations　and　blessings　on　the　person　who　first　pointed　out　to　them　the　way。〃



Chapter　II

Beginning　a　Long　Journey

In　1803；　availing　himself　of　a　plausible　pretext　to　send　out　an　exploring　expedition；　President　Jefferson　asked　Congress　to　appropriate　a　small　sum　of　money　（2；500）　for　the　execution　of　his　purpose。　At　that　time　the　cession　of　the　Louisiana　Territory　had　not　been　completed；　but　matters　were　in　train　to　that　end；　and　before　the　expedition　was　fairly　started　on　its　long　journey　across　the　continent；　the　Territory　was　formally　ceded　to　the　United　States。

Meriwether　Lewis；　a　captain　in　the　army；　was　selected　by　Jefferson　to　lead　the　expedition。　　Captain　Lewis　was　a　native　of　Virginia；　and　at　that　time　was　only　twenty…nine　years　old。　He　had　been　Jeffers