On January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent a secret message to Congress asking for $2500 "for the purpose of extending the external commerce of the U.S." Following Congressional approval, Meriwether Lewis began the preparations for the Corps of Discovery to cross the continent to the Pacific Ocean, and return. The objectives were to discover the region's economic potential, collect and describe the animals and plants, record the route and its features, record information about the Indian nations, and develop good relationships with and between the nations.  This gallery contains a photographic journey along the route of Lewis and Clark.

Lewis chose his friend William Clark as co-commander, and arranged for supplies and about 40 men to join him at Camp Dubois, just upriver from St. Louis. The Corps left camp on May 14, 1804, and began their 8000-mile journey, heading up the Missouri River.  In late October, they reached the camps of the Mandans, and constructed Fort Mandan to house them for the winter. On April 17, 1805, 33 people, including Sacagawea and her baby, continued the trip up the Missouri, and a small party returned to St. Louis with reports and specimens collected the previous year. After traveling up rivers and stream through mid-August, they left their boats, crossed the Continental Divide, and continued overland until they reached the Clearwater River. Dugout canoes then carried them down the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Ocean, where they arrived in early November. After choosing a site for their winter fort, Fort Clatsop, south of present-day Astoria, Oregon, the Corps completed construction and moved in at the end of the year. 

After a wet winter, the Corps left Fort Clatsop on March 23, 1806 and headed up the Columbia River. On July 3, at Travelers Rest, south of present-day Missoula, Montana, the Corps split into two parties to cover more territory on the return visit. Lewis went north to look for the headwaters of the Marias River, and Clark went south to follow the Yellowstone River. The parties rejoined on August 12 on the Missouri River below its confluence with the Yellowstone. The Corps made rapid progress downriver, reaching St. Louis on September 23. 

Two other galleries provide additional images along the route and more modern developments.  Separate galleries also focus on the Missouri and Lower Columbia Rivers.  

Photographs of undeveloped and developed areas along the route were taken for the book-in-progress with John Logan Allen on land use changes in the 200 years since the passage of the Corps of Discovery.  Images are also being used for museum exhibits. 

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All images are registered as David Lincoln. All rights reserved. Images may not be reproduced, including copying or saving a digital image file, or altered without the written authorization of David Lincoln, who should be contacted for information regarding commercial or personal use.