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Harriet Tubman Middle School
Portland, Oregon
Plants of the Lewis & Clark Journals
Lower Columbia River and Fort Clatsop
The Object of Your Mission
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Meriwether Lewis, writes, "Other objects worthy of notice will be: the soil and the face of the country, its growth and vegetable productions, especially those not of the U.S.; . . . , the dates at which particular plants put forth or lose their flowers, or leaf, . . ."
Even those Thomas Jefferson never laid eyes upon the Oregon Territory it captivated his imagination.
"Still, it was Jefferson, more than any other single man of his era, who made possible the opening of the West to the American people."
This opening was made possible by the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson called the Louisiana Purchase a "transaction replete with blessings to unborn millions of men."
Medicine
Thomas Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis, his personal secretary, to led the Corp of Discovery across the continent. During the spring of 1803, Meriwether Lewis traveled to Philadelphia to study under the "great scientific minds of the time".
Doctor Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, instructed Lewis in the latest medical practices (blood letting and purgatives) and the administration of medicine.
Jefferson described why he chose Captain Lewis to Dr. Benjamin Rush: "Capt. Lewis is brave, prudent, habituated to the woods, and familiar with Indian manners and character. He is not regularly educated, but he possesses a great mass of accurate observation on all the subjects of nature which present themselves here, . . ." (Jefferson's letter to Dr. Rush, Feb. 28, 1803).
Dr. Rush was the most eminent American physician in the early 1800's, a member of the American Philosophical Society, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He instructed Lewis is the administration of medicine and gave him a list of medicines that the Corp of Discovery should carry on their journey. The list included: 600 doses of Rush's Pill (a purgative), 3,500 doses of diapharetic (sweat inducer), 1,100 doses of emetics, 1,300 doses of physics, and drugs for blistering,salivation, increased kidney output.
Before Lewis left Philadelphia, Rush gave a question to Lewis to complete during the expedition. Rush was curious about the diseases of the Indians and their remedies. This is the reason why my students and I have constructed this site, to explore the Lewis & Clark Journals and to research how the Indians treated their ailments.
Botany
Jefferson once wrote " No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth." He instructed Lewis to take careful note of the plants of the west. " . . . objects worthy of your notice, . . . , the face of the country generally, its growth and vegetable productions; especially those not of the U.S." (Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis, 1804)
Benjamin Smith Barton, author of the first American textbook on botany "Elements of Botany", instructed Lewis on how to describe and preserve botanical specimens.
On the trail, Lewis devoted much of his time observing the flora of the west. He took extra care when describing each plant. Lewis collected, dried, pressed, and stored 240 plants specimens.
Today, the collection is housed at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Many of the specimens have been damaged over time. The Academy recently received a 148,000 grant to preserve the collection for the next 200 years.
Lewis and Clark's Expedition · The Legacy Grows: Lewis and Clark's Garden · Student Projects (Teach Lewis and Clark) · About the Student Projects
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This document's URL is: © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Date of Last Update: 2/25/2002  |