Seaman's Collar

Photo: Creative Commons

Is the collar thought to be Seaman's proof that the Newfoundland returned with the Corps, remaining by Lewis’s side until his death in 1809?

A respected member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New York Historical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society, Rev. Timothy Alden, published a five-volume book in 1814 titled, “A Collection of American Epitaphs and Inscriptions with Occasional Notes.” He had been collecting this type of information for years and in the book he listed epitaphs or inscriptions, their source, type of monument, and the city where they were found.

In this book, Entry 916 lists an interesting inscription on a dog collar in an Alexandria, Virginia museum. It reads, “The greatest traveler of my species. My name is SEAMAN, the dog of captain Meriwether Lewis, whom I accompanied to the Pacifick ocean through the interior of the continent of North America.”

If this collar was actually Seaman’s, it proves he survived the Expedition. But a part of the entry provides more detail. Per Alden, this note explains the collar and its owner: “The foregoing was copied from the collar, in the Alexandria Museum, which the late gov. Lewis's dog wore after his return from the western coast of America. The fidelity and attachment of this animal were remarkable. After the melancholy exit of gov. Lewis, his dog would not depart for a moment from his lifeless remains; and when they were deposited in the earth no gentle means could draw him from the spot of interment. He refused to take every kind of food, which was offered him, and actually pined away and died with grief upon his master's grave!”

The museum mentioned was likely a part of a Masonic Lodge (Alexandria – Washington #22), established in 1812. Lodge official Thomas Sandford wrote William Clark that year thanking him for the “truly valuable Present made by you to our infant museum…” Lewis and Clark were both Masons, so it’s likely Clark would have given some keepsakes to the fledgling museum.

Yet, there is still a reason for doubt. A fire in 1871 in the museum destroyed many of the artifacts, possibly including Seaman’s collar; it does not exist today.