Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-07-19

Der Of the Lewis and CLARK expedl'
ton. The occasion was when the mar
was a little boy in an Ohio river town
He had seen Sergeant Patrick Gass In
a. carriage. draped with the national
%co!ors, conveyed TO a polling booth dur
ing a presidential campaign. The
LACED hero of one Of our most important
epoch making explorations was then
104 years old, so while the span OF
life was long the link was connected
by personal observation and remem'
brance. This ma was the represen'
tative OF the Tribune, but just as ne
was about to be called upon the whistle
blew for the train TO start for stan
ton. s..
Before the throng left the field the
Tribune man took a group picture OF
all the speakers and other prominent
citizens.
The occasion was one of the hap
piest that ever taken place in Mercer
county and will be repeated next year.
In this connection it will be inter
esting to recount some Of the expert
ences of the expedition of Lewis and
Clark. Also, to state a few facts as
to how the expedition was brought
about and organized.
Dedicated an Empire.
In 1904, 1905 AMI 1906 two mel con.
! handed an expedition which explored
the wilderness that stretched IRON
the mouth of the Missouri river to
/ where the Columbia enters the Paci'
tic, and Dedicated to civilization
new empire. Their names we're Mer-
riwether Lewis and William Clark.
But TO most readers they are known
as Lewis and Clark. In effect they
were one and indivisible. The morale
of the expedition was ideal, and IN
der their guidance was wrought out
what has been we'll called our nation
al epic or exploration.
For almost 20 years prior to the Or
| ganization of the Lewis and Clark eX-
petition, and long before the general
! public was more than %passively curl
GUS upon the subject of Louisiana
president Jefferson had nourished the
| plan of exploring the Louisiana Ter.
r.tory. The primary purpose of the
expedition was to really discover what
the land held.
Acquires Louisiana Territory.
In 1900 Napoleon had acquired title
to Louisiana by trading with Spain
and giving in exchange the little king
dom of Etruria. But his control of
the territory was more tacit than &C.
tual; war between France and Eng
land was imminent. Napoleon had in
! America no adequate means of de-
Tending his new domain, which would
be likely to fall into the hands of the
British at once on the outbreak of
war. Jefferson. with his, long head,
saw that the proper time had come
and acquired title to this territory,
paying $15, 900, 900 therefor. .@g
Expedition Organized.
The expedition was organized. Prac-
tically nothing was known of the diff
ficulties to be encountered. So far
as sure knowledge of it was concern,
ed, the land was virgin, and Lewis
and Clark were to lie it's discoveries.
They were directed to explore it in
detail. Observations of latitude and
Longitude were to be made at all
| pOllllS VI particular luICl CSl. .
Natives to Be Studied.
The native nations and tribes en-
countered along the way were to bt
studied with care, and records pre-
served Of their names and numbers;
the extent and boundaries of theiI
possessions; their relations. with 9th
err tribes and nations; their language
traditions and monuments; their oc
equations, implements, food, clothing
and domestic accommodations; theil
diseases and methods of cure; thell
, physical, social, moral and religious
pe%culiarities and customs; their ideas
and practice Of commerce, and the
possibility of extending among then
the influences of civiliZatiOn-in short
every circumstance "a to be noted
which might render relations will
these people intelligent.
Given Letters Of Credit.
The expedition was given open let
ters of credit to draw on the govern
|.ment at any place. But these letter;
were certainly ironical. With sucl
a country to pass through, letters 0
credit would have been just as iusefu
had they been given to the Man il
the Moon.
The Start.
The start was made from the toWl
of Wood River, ILL.,, a mile below thu
mouth of the Missouri on the NMissis
sippi river. The party as first organ
lied consisted OF 20 members-th'
two officers, nine young Kentuckians
ii soldiers of the regular army, tW'
French watermen, an interpreter ant
hunter, and a negro servant of Car
tain Clark. AT St. sEouis there werr.
10 additional reGuits---an india
hunter and interpreter and Is boat
linen, who were to 60 as far as tn
village of the M%andans. This brough
the total up to Is.
The Boats.
Of the boats in which the party wa
embarked, the batteau was a keel yes
sci, IS feet in length, carrying a3larg'
square sail and manned by 22@oars
In the bow and stern, ten-foOt deck
formed the %forecastle and cabin; ant
lin the middle part were the lockers
whose tops could be raised to form
line of breastworks along either gun
vale, in case of attack from the lind
ans. The ~"periogues" ere ope
boats, manned by six and seven oar:
Besides these cOnveyances for tn
/ linen and baggage, horses were le'
!; along the banks of the river, to b
| used by the hunters in their daily OF
equations and for service in e:ners