| Historians like to compare the Lewis-and-Clark, | | | | (hundreds of fish/salmon, deer, elk, bison, antelope, |
| 1804-1806, westward expedition to our modern-day | | | | bighorn sheep, bear, beaver, otter, duck/geese/brant, |
| astronauts first landing on the moon. The difficulties of | | | | coot/plover, grouse, pheasant, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, |
| both accomplishments are proportionally similar. | | | | wolf, dog, and colt/horse), and traded-for bear grease. |
| However, the 30-tons of supplies gathered and taken | | | | It's been estimated the corps took about 2000 fowl |
| on the Corps-of-Discovery expedition's 28-month | | | | and land animals for their meat and skins, which was a |
| perilous journey to the Pacific Ocean and back helped | | | | miniscule amount compared to the huge animal |
| it to succeed immensely. In particular, the preplanned | | | | populations then. |
| gifts for the Indian tribes helped the corps to deal with | | | | Extra clothing. Flannel/linen shirts, coats, frocks, shoes, |
| and honor them en route. Also, the provisions for | | | | boots, woolen pants and coveralls, blankets, |
| survival, defense, navigation, trade, entertainment, | | | | knapsacks, stockings, and a few dress uniforms. Later |
| medication, and documentation, which are summarized | | | | in the journey, the crew made their own moccasins |
| below, helped them succeed. | | | | and buckskin clothing when their own wore out, or |
| Boats. One 55-ft keelboat (shallow-draft freight type) | | | | were traded to the natives. |
| having a 12-ton hold and 32-ft mast with square sail | | | | Arms/ammunition. Brass cannon (swivel-mounted on |
| and 35 oars/push rods; two pirogues (flat-bottomed | | | | the keelboat's bow), four blunderbusses (large |
| canoe-shaped with oars and a small mast and square | | | | shotguns: one mounted on each side of the keelboat, |
| sail): one 41-ft red and one 39-ft white; one 36 x 4.5-ft | | | | and one on each pirogue), 15 Model-1803 |
| collapsible metal boat frame to be assembled and | | | | muzzle-loading 0.54 caliber flint-lock rifles with slings, |
| covered with animal skins later in the trip. Because the | | | | four pistols, several swords, espontoons (pointed |
| keelboat was too large for much of the upper Missouri | | | | walking sticks also used as spears/gun-rests), 500 |
| and other outlying rivers, it was returned to St. Louis | | | | musket flints, spare parts for muskets, 420-lb sheet |
| with the current artifacts and written reports during the | | | | lead for bullets, 200-lb of gun/rifle powder packed in |
| early spring of 1805. It was manned by a small crew. | | | | sealed lead canisters, powder horns and pouches, |
| The metal boat frame was never used for the lack of | | | | hunting/outdoor knives, one long-barreled |
| a natural sealing pitch from pine trees. It was | | | | compressed-air repeating rifle, and the personal knives, |
| abandoned in a sunken cache near Great Falls, | | | | rifles, and firearms of the crew, including Lewis' dueling |
| Montana. The corps used dugout canoes instead. | | | | pistols. The repeating rifle was used mostly for show |
| Animals. Two horses (for riding on land, and for helping | | | | and demonstration among the tribes, not for hunting |
| pull the keelboat upstream); one large Newfoundland | | | | small game. |
| retriever (Lewis' personal dog named, Seaman, who | | | | Medicine/medical supplies. (kept in walnut/pine chests) |
| aided the effort by retrieving game and by guarding | | | | 600 Dr. Rush pills (laxatives), lancets (surgical knives), |
| the campsites at night). | | | | forceps (tongs), syringes, tourniquets, small dental |
| Scientific/navigational instruments. Surveyor's compass, | | | | medical instruments, bleeding implements, tin canisters, |
| hand compasses, telescope, quadrant, sextants, | | | | glass-stoppered tincture bottles, 1300 doses of physic |
| thermometers, level, chronometer, magnet, microscope, | | | | (cathartic), 1100 doses of emetic (vomiting), 3500 doses |
| line reel, parallel glass (for reading the horizon), oiled | | | | of diaphoretic (sweat inducer), other drugs, like, |
| bags for keeping the instruments in, and paraphernalia | | | | laudanum (a tincture of opium), mercury, nitrate salts, |
| for storing collected plant and animal specimens and | | | | powdered barks/herbs, ointments, and other salts for |
| Native American artifacts. | | | | blisters, boils, ache/pain, sores, sunburn, worms, and for |
| Camping gear. Oiled canvases, waterproofing oil, nine | | | | increased saliva and urine output. |
| tents, lanterns, 30 steels to make fires, flints, corn mill, | | | | Books. Botany, history, mineralogy, nautical astronomy, |
| tablespoons, tumblers, water flasks, fishing gear, | | | | natural science, almanac, large dictionary, Linnaeus |
| drawing knives, whetstones, soap, cooking gear | | | | classification of plants, requisite tables for longitude |
| utensils (brass/metal kettles/pots/pans, eating utensils), | | | | latitude, and an early map of the Missouri River. |
| bedding gear, mosquito curtains, rope/cord/string, | | | | Writing/drafting implements. Pencils, quills, powered ink, |
| heavy sewing needles/thread, hanging hooks, flags, | | | | brass ink stands, crayons, drafting/plotting tools, |
| hogshead (large barrel), wooden boxes, kegs, oiled | | | | leather-covered writing journals, writing/map paper, |
| storage bags, lamps/lanterns, candle wicks/wax, | | | | draft/receipt booklets, oilskin bags to store records in, |
| candles, one box of friction matches, and one | | | | candles for writing at night, and sealing wax. |
| crewman's personal fiddle (unofficially for campfire | | | | These vast amounts of supplies propelled the corps all |
| songs and entertainment). | | | | the way to the Pacific Ocean through several |
| Gifts for the tribes (21 bales). Pocket mirrors, sewing | | | | difficulties, but also with high levels of success. |
| needles with cases, awls, knitting pins, small scissors, | | | | However, while wintering there near the mouth of the |
| sewing thread, thimbles, silk ribbons, buttons, scissors, | | | | Columbia River, their supplies and trade goods had |
| ivory/iron combs, burning/magnifying glasses, bells, | | | | dwindled. Portions of them had been 1) consumed en |
| Chiefs bundles (containing high-quality items), lockets, | | | | route, 2) left behind in caches for their return trip if not |
| broaches, rings, handkerchiefs, calico shirts, | | | | spoiled, or 3) traded-off with the Indian tribes. In |
| bright-colored textiles/cloth, curtain rings, brass wire, | | | | particular, they ran out of colored beads, often prized |
| rolls/twists of tobacco, axes, tomahawk-pipes, knives, | | | | by the native tribes. So, they traded the metal buttons |
| brass kettles, corn mills, brass strips, fishing gear, | | | | from their remaining uniforms and clothing instead. |
| powdered Vermilion face paint, earrings, armbands, | | | | They also started making their own salt from the sea |
| 33-lb colored glass beads, American flags, and | | | | water. In short, the provisions on their return journey |
| specially made peace medals/certificates. The corps | | | | would be much scantier than what they had departed |
| also traded other items with the tribes, including their | | | | with on their outbound one. |
| own personal gear and, rarely, arms and ammunition. | | | | Because this situation was a precarious one, the corps |
| Tools (all kinds). Pliers, chisels, handsaws, buck-saws, | | | | rationed their goods on the way home. They probably |
| two-man lumberjack saws, hatchets, axes, scrapers, | | | | avoided certain tribes they felt indebted to as well. |
| shears, planes, cutting tools, augers, hand drills, | | | | Then, after arriving back in the North-Dakota plains |
| whetstones, hammers, nails, squares, chain, files/rasps, | | | | where their earlier winter fort was located, they |
| anvil and bellows-forge with accompanying | | | | settled-up and parted with one of their interpreters and |
| blacksmithing tools, spirit level, tape measure, English | | | | his wife, Sacagawea. Besides that cash settlement, |
| wood set, gold scales, iron weights, grease/oil, iron corn | | | | the corps gave them their no-longer-needed |
| mill. During their journey, the corps built two stockade | | | | blacksmithing gear. Shortly after that, they gave the |
| forts for their winter encampments: 1) Fort Mandan, | | | | brass cannon from the keelboat, which had been |
| North Dakota, 1804, and 2) Fort Clatsop, Oregon coast, | | | | stored in one of the caches, to a tribal chief nearby, |
| 1805. They also built carts for transporting their goods | | | | hoping to coax him into returning to the states with |
| around waterfalls and rapids, and they made several | | | | them. He turned the invitation down. But they found |
| dugout/burned-out canoes for navigating the rivers and | | | | another chief, who with his family, would accompany |
| streams. | | | | the corps back St Louis and the states. |
| Food: Forty day menu (kept on board).1200-lb | | | | Needless to say, except for their collected animal furs |
| parchmeal, 800-lb common meal, 1600-lb hulled corn, | | | | and skins, the corps came home much less supplied |
| 3400-lb flour, 560-lb biscuit mix, 750-lb salt, 3700-lb salt | | | | than when they departed 28-months earlier. Still, their |
| pork, 50-lb coffee, 2-lb tea, 100-lb dried beans/peas, | | | | west-coastal winter encampment and their return |
| 112-lb sugar, 750-lb salt, 100-lb hogs lard, 600-lb cooking | | | | journey home could have gone much better if they |
| grease, 30-gal wine, 120-gal whiskey (to get them to | | | | had been able to replenish their tradable goods while |
| the point of no return), 193-lb portable soup mix | | | | near the ocean and Columbia River, possibly from a |
| (boiled-down paste of meat, eggs, and vegetables). | | | | foreign merchant ship. Trade ships had landed there |
| The portable soup was eaten only as a last resort | | | | before. The coastal tribes were well equipped with |
| when no other food was available. | | | | metal pots and pans, early model muskets, and sailors |
| Obtained en route. Fruit (apples, cherries, raspberries, | | | | clothing. A government draft signed by Lewis would |
| plums, grapes, currants, pawpaws), vegetables | | | | have paid for these goods. Yet, few ships, if any, |
| (squash, greens, melons, leeks/onions, artichokes, | | | | seemed to come that way during the wintertime. |
| licorice, roots, greens, wappatos, white apples), meat | | | | |