Lewis and Clark expedition

Cultural  

1. A journey made by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, to explore the American Northwest, newly purchased from France, and some territories beyond. The expedition started from St. Louis, Missouri, and moved up the Missouri River and down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The information that Lewis and Clark gathered was of great help in the settlement of the West. (See also Louisiana Purchase.)

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Example Sentences

More than 220 years later, the Lewis and Clark expedition still intrigues.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Prominent individuals such as filmmaker Ken Burns, descendants of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and tens of thousands of Americans have written letters and signed petitions supporting the Chinook.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2021

With his commission of the Lewis and Clark expedition and his control of governments in the newly acquired inland empire, Jefferson, once a fervent exponent of limited government, substantially expanded presidential power.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2019

But this canoe was donated to the Chinook people in 2011 by the descendants of William Clark to make amends for the theft of a Chinook canoe during the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1806.

From Washington Times • Jul. 28, 2019

“A black person was part of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Really?”

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson