Meriwether Lewis

author

Meriwether Lewis

1774–1809

An American explorer, soldier, and public official best known for leading the Lewis and Clark Expedition with William Clark, he helped map a vast stretch of the North American West for the young United States. His life joined adventure, science, and public service, and it ended unexpectedly at just 35.

3 Audiobooks

The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806

The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806

by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark

History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. 1. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6.

History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. 1. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6.

by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark

History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. 2. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6.

History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. 2. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6.

by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark

About the author

Born in Virginia in 1774, Meriwether Lewis served in the army before becoming Thomas Jefferson's private secretary. Jefferson chose him to lead the Corps of Discovery, the expedition that set out in 1804 to explore the Louisiana Purchase and seek a route to the Pacific.

With William Clark, Lewis led one of the most famous journeys in American history. Along the way he kept careful notes on landscapes, plants, animals, and encounters with Native nations, making him not just an explorer but an important early observer of the continent's natural world.

After the expedition, Lewis was appointed governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. He died in 1809 while traveling on the Natchez Trace, and the circumstances of his death have been debated ever since. His legacy endures through the expedition's journals and his central place in the story of early American exploration.