Lewis's Packing List
In preparation for the journey, Meriwether Lewis wrote a list of necessary items to be taken. Due to Lewis's spelling, some of the words may not look familiar to you; please sound them out phonetically to understand them. See http://media.nara.gov/media/images/19/29/19-2831a.gif for a look at the manuscript version of the Indian gifts.
Mathematical Instruments
1 |
Hadley's Quadrant |
|
1 |
Mariner's Compas & 2 pole chain |
|
1 |
Sett of plotting instruments |
|
3 |
Thermometers |
|
1 |
Cheap portable Microscope |
|
1 |
Pocket Compass |
|
1 |
brass Scale one foot in length |
|
6 |
Magnetic needles in small straight silver or brass cases opening on the side with hinges. |
|
1 |
Instrument for measuring made of tape with feet & inches mark'd on it,... |
|
2 |
Hydrometers |
|
1 |
Theodolite |
|
1 |
Sett of planespheres |
|
2 |
Artificial Horizons |
|
1 |
Patent log |
|
6 |
papers of Ink powder |
|
4 |
Metal Pens brass or silver |
|
1 |
Set of Small Slates & pencils |
|
2 |
Creyons |
|
Sealing wax one bundle |
||
1 |
Miller's edition of Lineus in 2 Vol: |
|
Books |
||
Maps |
||
Charts |
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Blank Vocabularies |
||
Writing paper |
||
1 |
Pair large brass money scales with two setts of weights. |
Arms & Accoutrements
15 |
Rifle |
|
15 |
Powder Horns & pouches complete |
|
15 |
Pairs of Bullet Moulds |
|
15 |
do. Of Wipers or Gun worms |
|
15 |
Ball Screws |
|
24 |
Pipe Tomahawks |
|
24 |
large knives |
|
Extra parts of Locks & tools for repairing arms |
||
15 |
Gun Slings |
|
500 |
best Flints |
Ammunition
200 |
Lbs. Best rifle powder |
|
400 |
lbs. Lead |
Clothing
15 |
3 pt. Blankets |
|
15 |
Watch Coats with Hoods & belts |
|
15 |
Woolen Overalls |
|
15 |
Rifle Frocks of waterproof Cloth if possible |
|
30 |
Pairs of Socks or half Stockings |
|
20 |
Fatigue Frocks or hinting shirts |
|
30 |
Shirts of Strong linnen |
|
30 |
yds. Common flannel. |
Camp Equipage
6 |
Copper kettles (1 of 5 Gallons, 1 of 3, 2 of 2, & 2 of 1) |
|
35 |
falling Axes. |
|
4 |
Drawing Knives, short & strong |
|
2 |
Augers of the patent kind. |
|
1 |
Small permanent Vice |
|
1 |
Hand Vice |
|
36 |
Gimblets assorted |
|
24 |
Files do. |
|
12 |
Chisels do. |
|
10 |
Nails do. |
|
2 |
Steel plate hand saws |
|
2 |
Vials of Phosforus |
|
1 |
do. Of Phosforus made of allum & sugar |
|
4 |
Groce fishing Hooks assorted |
|
12 |
Bunches of Drum Line |
|
2 |
Foot Adzes |
|
12 |
Bunches of Small cord |
|
2 |
Pick Axes |
|
3 |
Coils of rope |
|
2 |
Spades |
|
12 |
Bunches Small fishing line assorted |
|
1 |
lb. Turkey or Oil Stone |
|
1 |
Iron Mill for Grinding Corn |
|
20 |
yds. Oil linnen for wrapping & securing Articles |
|
10 |
yds do. do. Of thicker quality for covering and lining boxes. &c |
|
40 |
yds Do. Do. To form two half faced Tents or Shelters. |
|
4 |
Tin blowing Trumpets |
|
2 |
hand or spiral spring Steelyards |
|
20 |
yds Strong Oznaburgs |
|
24 |
Iron Spoons |
|
24 |
Pint Tin Cups (without handles) |
|
30 |
Steels for striking or making fire |
|
100 |
Flints for do. do. do. |
|
2 |
Frows |
|
6 |
Saddlers large Needles |
|
6 |
Do. Large Awls |
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Muscatoe Curtains |
||
2 |
patent chamber lamps & wicks |
|
15 |
Oil Cloth Bags for securing provision |
|
1 |
Sea Grass Hammock |
Provisions and Means of Subsistence
150 |
lbs. Portable Soup. |
|
3 |
bushels of Allum or Rock Salt |
|
Spicies assorted |
||
6 |
Kegs of 5 Gallons each making 30 Gallons of rectified pirits such as is used for the Indian trade |
|
6 |
Kegs bound with iron Hoops |
Indian Presents
5 |
lbs. White Wampum |
|
5 |
lbs. White Glass Beads mostly small |
|
20 |
lbs. Red Do. Do. Assorted |
|
5 |
lbs. Yellow or Orange Do. Do. Assorted |
|
30 |
Calico Shirts |
|
12 |
Pieces of East India muslin Hanckerchiefs striped or check'd with brilliant Colours. |
|
12 |
Red Silk Hanckerchiefs |
|
144 |
Small cheap looking Glasses |
|
100 |
Burning Glasses |
|
4 |
Vials of Phosforus |
|
288 |
Steels for striking fire |
|
144 |
Small cheap Scizors |
|
20 |
Pair large Do. |
|
12 |
Groces Needles Assorted No. 1 to 8 Common points |
|
12 |
Groces Do. Assorted with points for sewing leather |
|
288 |
Common brass thimbles - part W. office |
|
10 |
lbs. Sewing Thread assorted |
|
24 |
Hanks Sewing Silk |
|
8 |
lbs. Red Lead |
|
2 |
lbs. Vermillion - at War Office |
|
288 |
Knives Small such as are generally used for the Indian trade, with fix'd blades & handles inlaid with brass |
|
36 |
Large knives |
|
36 |
Pipe Tomahawks - at H. Ferry |
|
12 |
lbs. Brass wire Assorted |
|
12 |
lbs. Iron do. Do. generally large |
|
6 |
Belts of narrow Ribbons colours assorted |
|
50 |
lbs. Spun Tobacco. |
|
20 |
Small falling axes to be obtained in Tennessee |
|
40 |
fish Griggs such as the Indians use with a single barbed point - at Harper's ferry |
|
3 |
Groce fishing Hooks assorted |
|
3 |
Groce Mockerson awls assorted |
|
50 |
lbs. Powder secured in a Keg covered with oil Cloth |
|
24 |
Belts of Worsted feiret or Gartering Colours brilliant and Assorted |
|
15 |
Sheets of Copper Cut into strips of an inch in width & a foot long |
|
20 |
Sheets of Tin |
|
12 |
lbs. Strips of Sheet iron 1 In. wide 1 foot long |
|
1 |
Pc. Red Cloth second quality |
|
1 |
Nest of 8 or 9 small copper kettles |
|
100 |
Block-tin rings cheap kind ornamented with Colour'd Glass or Mock-Stone |
|
2 |
Groces of brass Curtain Rings & sufficently large for the Finger |
|
1 |
Groce Cast Iron Combs |
|
18 |
Cheap brass Combs |
|
24 |
Blankets. |
|
12 |
Arm Bands Silver at War Office |
|
12 |
Wrist do. do. Do. |
|
36 |
Ear Trinkets Do. Part do. |
|
6 |
Groces Drops of Do. Part Do. |
|
4 |
doz Rings for Fingers of do. |
|
4 |
Groces Broaches of do. |
|
12 |
Small Medals do. |
Means of Transportation
1 |
Keeled Boat light strong at least 60 feet in length her burthen equal to 8 Tons |
|
1 |
Iron frame of Canoe 40 feet long |
|
1 |
Large Wooden Canoe |
|
12 |
Spikes for Setting-Poles |
|
4 |
Boat Hooks & points Complete |
|
2 |
Chains & Pad-Locks for confining the Boat & Canoes &c. |
Medicine
15 |
lbs. Best powder's Bark |
|
10 |
lbs. Epsom or Glauber Salts |
|
4 |
oz. Calomel |
|
12 |
oz. Opium |
|
_ |
oz. Tarter emetic |
|
8 |
oz. Borax |
|
4 |
oz. Powder'd Ipecacuana |
|
8 |
oz. Powder Jalap |
|
8 |
oz. Powdered Rhubarb |
|
6 |
Best lancets |
|
2 |
oz. White Vitriol |
|
4 |
oz. Lacteaum Saturni |
|
4 |
Pewter Penis syringes |
|
1 |
Flour of Sulphur |
|
3 |
Clyster pipes |
|
4 |
oz. Turlingtons Balsam |
|
2 |
lbs. Yellow Bascilicum |
|
2 |
Sticks of Symple Diachylon |
|
1 |
lb. Blistering Ointments |
|
2 |
lbs. Nitre |
|
2 |
lbs. Coperas |
Materials for making up the Various Articles into portable Packs
30 |
Sheep skins taken off the Animal as perfectly whole aspossible, without being split on the belly as usual and dress'd only with lime to free them from the wool; or otherwise about the same quantity of Oil Cloth bags well painted |
|
Raw hide for pack strings |
||
Dress'd letter for Hoppus-Straps |
||
Other packing |
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Do.= ditto
&c. = etcetera
Oznaburgs = strong cloth
Worsted feiret [ferret] = woven wool tape, used for embellishment and trade
Hoppus = might possible refer to an Indian term for knapsack
List copied from: Jackson, Donald, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: with Related Documents 1783 - 1854, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 1978, pages 69-74.
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My colleague Dan Claro at the University of Delaware used this packing list as the launching point for his dissertation on mobility and the human body in Early America. I love the way it suggests how Lewis and Clark confronted the unknown. They did not know what they might encounter on their journey west, but they certainly tried to be prepared for everything. Importantly, they recognized that bringing presents to give to Indians they met along the way; they knew gifts might gain them entree into the potentially dangerous foreign lands in which they ventured. I don't think, however, that L&C knew much about packing light.