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What did meriwether lewis discover

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Merwether Lewis accomplished much in his relatively short life. He will forever be linked to the exploration of the American Northwest. Image © 2002 www.clipart.com.

Thomas Jefferson had a firsthand view of Meriwether Lewis's toughness when Lewis was just a child.

In a brief biography of Lewis written after Lewis' death, Jefferson told of Lewis' hunting in his barefeet with the winter snow still on the ground. It's little wonder then that Jefferson, a neighbor of Lewis' family, turned to Lewis for the great expedition west. The mental and physical endurance that Jefferson had seen up close in Lewis would be put to the test of his lifetime as he explored the uncharted west in search of the Northwest Passage.

The Early Days
Lewis was the second of three children born to Lucy Meriwether Lewis and William Lewis on August 18, 1774, in Albemarle County, VA. Lewis got his thirst for exploration naturally—his Welsh forefathers were part of the western movement from the early years of the American colonies. Jefferson called Lewis' family "one of the distinguis

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Meriwether Lewis

American explorer and Governor (1774–1809)

Meriwether Lewis

Portrait by Charles Wilson Peale, c. 1807

In office
March 3, 1807 – October 11, 1809
Appointed byThomas Jefferson
Preceded byJames Wilkinson
Succeeded byBenjamin Howard
In office
1803–1806
PresidentThomas Jefferson
Preceded byCorps commissioned
Succeeded byCorps disbanded
In office
1801–1803
PresidentThomas Jefferson
Preceded byWilliam Smith Shaw
Succeeded byLewis Harvie
Born(1774-08-18)August 18, 1774
Locust Hill Plantation, Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia(now Ivy, Virginia)
DiedOctober 11, 1809(1809-10-11) (aged 35)
Hickman County, Tennessee, U.S. (now near Hohenwald, Tennessee)
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
OccupationExplorer, soldier, politician
Signature
Branch/serviceInfantry
Years of service1795–1807
RankCaptain
UnitLegion of the United States
1st United States Infantry Regiment
CommandsCorps of Discovery; see above.

Meriwether L

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Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774-October 11, 1809) was a soldier, an explorer, and a personal secretary to Thomas Jefferson.

When the contentious election of 1800 had been decided and Thomas Jefferson prepared to assume the presidency, he knew whom he wanted as his private secretary. Within days of the final balloting in February 1801, Jefferson posted a letter to General James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. Army, and under the same cover one to "Lieut. Meriwether Lewis, not knowing where he may be." Jefferson gave Wilkinson specific reasons for seeking the young Lewis. He referenced Lewis's knowledge of the frontier and the military and he mentioned "a personal acquaintance with [Lewis], arising from his being of my neighborhood."[1]

Indeed, Meriwether Lewis and the extensive Lewis and Meriwether families were from Jefferson's "neighborhood" in the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Meriwether Lewis was born on his father's farm, Locust Hill, located approximately 10 miles west of Monticello, on August 18, 1774. His father, William Lewis, and mother, Lucy Meriwether, w

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