Lewis and Clark: Off the Map

This map of Lewis’ and Clark's track, across the western portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, was produced by William Clark and other cartographers after the expedition returned home.

Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase.

How do you get from place to place? Chances are you learned long ago how to get to and from some important places, like your home, work, or school. For other places, particularly those you’ve never been to before, you need a little help. Today, that help is as simple as looking up a place or address online, then plugging it into a GPS. In the past navigating to somewhere unknown was more difficult. You needed a map and the knowledge to use it properly. But what if there is no map?

One option is to make your own map. On the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this was one of the main jobs of William Clark. In a seemingly casual journal entry from February of 1805 Clark wrote:

February 27, 1805

I commence a Map of the Countrey on the Missouries & its waters &c. &c—

Clark was adept at using surveying and map making tools. He was a natural cartographer. He was also a good listener, and incorporated knowledge into his maps shared by friends including: Sheheke-shote, John Colter, and George Drouillard. Eventually Clark created a map, published in 1814, useful through later decades.

Another option to find your way with no map is to ask for help. Numerous American Indian guides helped Lewis and Clark find their way across the continent. Toby, Tetoharskry, Twisted Hair, and many more unnamed people ensured the success of the Corps of Discovery. When recrossing the Bitterroot Mountains west to east, Lewis was so desperate for American Indian aid he wrote:

June 18, 1806

We dispatched Drewyer and Shannon to the Chopunnish Indians in the plains beyond the Kooskooske in order to hasten the arrival of the indians who had promised to accompany us or to procure a gude at all events and rejoin us as soon as possible. we sent by them a rifle which we offered as a reward to any of them who would engage to conduct us to traveller's rest; we also dirrected them if they found difficulty in induciny any of them to accompany us to offer the reward of two other guns to be given them immediately and ten horses at the falls of Missouri.

That Lewis was willing to trade not only horses but firearms speaks volumes to how much he valued and needed American Indian guides. Then again, when lost, one of the best options is to ask for help.

The maps that William Clark and other cartographers made eventually led to the user friendly navigation systems that we use today. Despite the usefulness of GPS, electronic devices can fail for many reasons. If that happens, there are two good, if dated, alternatives. We can look at a map, and we can ask for directions.