THE LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION: On this day in 1804, Lewis and Clark set off on their fabled expedition from Camp DuBois in Illinois.
The fame of these two adventurers has had its ups and downs. By the late 19th century, their feat wasn’t quite so fabled anymore. But in 1904, two expositions marking the expedition’s centennial—the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis and the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland—revived interest in them. By mid-century they had become the rock stars of many American History books for school children.
These days the biggest star of the expedition may be Sacajawea. It seems not as many folks like white guys in buckskin they way they used to. But they’re still all rock stars to me.
UPDATE (FROM GLENN): I really enjoyed Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis & Clark expedition.