Publisher's Synopsis
It is one of the grandest adventures in American history, and this is the premiere retelling of it. When explorers MERIWETHER LEWIS (1774-1809) and WILLIAM CLARK (1770-1838) embarked on their continent-spanning journey across North America in 1804, they also began keeping daily journals full of detailed accounts of their travels and keen observations of the wildlife, flora, and native peoples they encountered. But it wasn't until 1893 that those journals were edited into this definitive presentation. That four-volume 1893 work is here presented in its entirety in three volumes, and including all of editor Elliot Coues's explanatory notes, chapter synopses, and more. Volume III includes observations on the botany and zoology of the Columbia River valley and covers the division of the expedition into teams exploring simultaneously the Big Blackfoot and Maria's Rivers, led by Lewis, and the Yellowstone River, led by Clark. Also in this volume: Lewis's essay on Indian policy and the expedition's estimates of Indian population; appendices, maps, and the index. As thrilling as it is informative, this is essential reading for anyone fascinated by the opening of the American frontier. American doctor, historian, ornithologist, and author ELLIOTT COUES (1842-1899) helped create the taxonomic nomenclature still in use by zoologists. He wrote the foundational Key to North American Birds (1872) and edited The Travels of Zebulon M. Pike (1895).
