In 1801 Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States. At that time two out of every three Americans lived within fifty miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The United States ended on the eastern banks of the Mississippi. To the Southwest lay New Spain, stretching from Texas to California. England controlled Canada and its traders were expanding southward into what is now Minnesota and the Dakotas, and its ships were dominating the Pacific Northwest.
Stretching beyond the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains was the vast French territory of Louisiana, where Napoleon was hoping to re-establish an empire in the New World. Many nations were interested in the West but little was known about it. No one was more committed to solving the mystery than Jefferson. By 1803, Jefferson, having won the support of Congress, seemed set to fulfil his dream of exploring the West. Heading the expedition in May 1804 was the President's personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, a morose, complex personality. Lewis approached his friend, the outgoing William Clark. This wonderful book chronicles their adventure, comparable to the space programme of the late 1960s. The courage and daring of the Corps of Discovery team, travelling more than 4,000 miles into the unknown, in search of a North West Passage route, which did not exist, is remarkable. The book makes effective use of explorers' journals as well as maps, paintings and early photographs. It is a romantic, exciting story, a testament to the team and particularly to Jefferson's visionary imagination.
