The Journals of Lewis and Clark Free online reading

When President Thomas Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Purchase - the vast, unknown lands between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico - he promptly established an expedition to map America's new frontier. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark outfitted the "Corps of Discovery," and on May 14, 1804, 45 men in 3 boats set off up the Mississippi. The trip took 2 years and 4 months, and the record of the expedition contained in the journals of its courageous leaders is a fascinating story of adventure, hardship, and discovery. Excerpted from History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition edited by Nicholas Biddle and narrated by Norman Dietz, The Journals of Lewis and Clark recreates the history and spirit of the men who mapped the frontier.