Jefferson and Exploration

"The object of your mission..."

- Thomas Jefferson, 1803

Early Explorers ... Lewis & Clark ... Pike, Hunter & Dunbar, Freeman & Custis ... More Resources on Exploration

Early Explorers

"Your proposition respecting a tour to the west and North west of the Continent would be Extremely agreable to me ..."

George Rogers Clark, 1784

Fry & Jefferson Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson, partnered with Joshua Fry to explore, survey, and map the colony of Virginia. Listen to a podcast describing the creation of the Fry-Jefferson Map.

Before Lewis & Clark Jefferson proposed several western expeditions in the 1780s and 1790s, none of which came to fruition. Explore this Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article on the proposals for the Clark, Ledyard, and Michaux expeditions.

The Journey of Elizabeth House Trist In 1783, Elizabeth House Trist journeyed down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers hoping to reunite with her husband in Natchez. Trist's travel diary, created at the request of Thomas Jefferson, is the earliest known record of a Mississippi River expedition by a woman.

Lewis & Clark

"...of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness & perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from it’s direction..."

Thomas Jefferson, 1813

Louisiana and Louis & Clark Explore the Monticello website's extensive online resources about the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Meriwether Lewis Explore the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia entry on Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson's private secretary and his choice to lead the expedition.

The Political Origins of the Lewis & Clark Expedition Explore the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia's article on the geopolitical concerns that prompted Jefferson to propose a Western Expedition.

Objects for the Indian Hall This blog post recounts the scientific and cultural importance of the remarkable shipment dispatched by Lewis & Clark from a sizable Indian village near what is now Bismarck, North Dakota, arriving in Washington, D.C. in 1805.

A Shipment from Lewis & Clark First-person Jefferson interpreter Bill Barker discusses the significance of the shipment of plants, animals, and artifacts from Lewis & Clark that arrived at the President's House in 1805.

A Rich Spot of Earth - Lewis & Clark Plants Listen to this episode of "A Rich Spot of Earth" where discussion topics include some of the plants sent back to Jefferson from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Pike, Dunbar & Hunter, Freeman & Custis

Not only Lewis & Clark, but Zebulon Pike, Dunbar & Hunter, and Freeman & Custis all explored the Louisiana Territory for Jefferson.

The Pike Expeditions Zebulon Pike made two expeditions of the Louisiana Territory: one to find the source of the Mississippi River, and one to explore the Arkansas and Red Rivers. Explore the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article on Pike.

Freeman & Custis (The Red River Expedition) Explore the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article on the 1806 Expedition to the portion of the Louisiana Territory running along the Red River of the South.

The Dunbar-Hunter Expedition In 1804, Jefferson commissioned William Dunbar to explore the Ozarks region of the Louisiana Territory. Read the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article on Dunbar.

More Exploration Resources

Those Other Western Expeditions Monticello's Olivia Brown and Mike Amos discuss Jefferson's promotion of exploration in this podcast.

Alexander von Humboldt Peruse the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article on the noted Prussian scientist and explorer of South and Central America, Jefferson's friend and fellow scientist Alexander von Humboldt.

Survey of the Coast This Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia article details Jefferson's endeavors to explore and map the entire U.S. Coastline, giving birth to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

William Bartram Jefferson's fellow botanist and scientist William Bartram embarked on a natural history expedition through the southeastern Colonies from 1773 to 1777. Explore the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia's article.

The Garden Plants of Lewis and Clark This Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants "Twinleaf" article details the introduction of Lewis & Clark plants to East Coast nurseries and gardens.