Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark had to pack very carefully for their journey to explore the
Louisiana Territory in order to make sure they had enough food,
clothing and supplies for their men plus gifts for Native Americans
they might meet along the way. The fact that only one member of
their expedition died during the 28-month, 8,000-mile journey
indicates that their careful planning and training paid off.
The 200th anniversary of the
start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition will be celebrated during
"The Departure," a special event scheduled for May 13-16 at
Lewis
and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford. To commemorate this
bicentennial observance, the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency, which administers the historic site, is
providing the following information that should prove interesting
for history enthusiasts of all ages. More information about the
expedition will follow in the coming weeks.
A Memorandum of Articles in readiness
for the Voyage
(A list of food and consumable
supplies for the expedition)
Written by William Clark
(includes original spelling and
punctuation)
|
weight |
14
Bags of Parchmeal |
1200 |
9 Bags
Common Parchmeal |
800 |
11
Bags Corn, Hulled |
1000 |
30
half Barrels of flour, 3 Bags of flour |
3900 |
7 Bags
of Biscuit, 4 Barrels of Biscuit |
650 |
7
Barrels of Salt Pork |
750 |
50
Kegs of Pork |
3705 |
2
Boxes of Candles 70 lb. and about 50 lb. |
|
(one
of which has 50 lb. of soap) |
170 |
1 Bag
of Candle-wick |
8 |
1 Bag
Coffee |
50 |
1 Bag
Beens & 1 of Pees |
100 |
2 Bags
Sugar |
112 |
1 Keg
of Hogs Lard |
100 |
4
Barrels of Corn hulled |
600 |
1
Barrel of meal |
150 |
600
lb. Grees |
|
50
bushels meal |
|
24
bushels Natchies Corn Huled |
|
21
Bales of Indian goods |
|
Tools
of every Description & &c. |
|
our party
2 Capts.
4 Sergeants, 3 Intptrs., 22 Amns. 9 or 10 French, & York also 1
Corpl. & Six in a pirogue with 40 Days provisions for the party as
far as the provisions last.
(From "The Definitive
Journals of Lewis and Clark, Volume 2," edited by Gary Moulton)
Memorandum of supplies
(A
sampling of what Lewis and Clark took on their journey west)
Scientific instruments
 Camp
supplies
Gifts for
Native Americans
[to top of second
column in this article]
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Clothing
- 45 flannel shirts
- Coats
- Frocks
- Shoes
- Woolen pants
- Blankets
- Knapsacks
-
Stockings
Arms and
ammunition
 Medical
supplies
Traveling
library
(From
"Lewis & Clark in Illinois," an activity booklet for grades 4-5,
published by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency)
The booklets accompany "Lewis & Clark
in Illinois" resource kits available at various Illinois State
Historic Sites. They were funded in part by the Library Services and
Technology Act through the Illinois State Library, Illinois
Secretary of State's Office.
The resource kits present materials
that interpret and educate the public about Lewis and Clark's
journey, with particular attention to the time the expedition spent
in the Illinois Country and the importance of the Illinois story to
the success of the expedition.
The "Lewis & Clark in Illinois"
resource kits were developed to support classroom instruction. In
addition to the activity booklet, each self-contained kit provides
the teacher with instructional materials, a calendar of events,
laminated pictures of local history and maps. Teachers can present
the Lewis and Clark connection to Illinois history in an
age-appropriate, engaging and informative manner.

The kits can
be checked out through any public library or at the following state
historic sites: Lewis and Clark, Hartford; Cahokia Courthouse,
Cahokia; Cahokia Mounds, Collinsville; Fort Kaskaskia, Ellis Grove;
and Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher. Each of these historic
sites is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency,
and all are open Wednesday through Sunday for free public tours.
[Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency
news release]

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