Lewis and Clark

"This bear being so hard to die reather intimedates us all; I must confess that I do not like the gentlemen and had rather fight two Indians than one bear"

- Meriwether Lewis, commenting on Grizzly Bears

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were military officers and buddies who led an American Military expedition through the unexplored regions of the American west, setting out in 1804 and returning to St Louis in 1806. The expedition was sent to find a water passage connecting the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, as well as living Mammoths, possible Giant Lions (based on fossils later determined to be those of a Giant Ground Sloth), and to learn more about the western frontier, gathering type specimens of animal and plant species, establishing trade and soveregnity with the Native American Indian tribes. The expedition was a motle crew, consisting of American troops and hired Canadians, along with a Newfoundland Dog (Merwither Lewis's Dog, named Seaman), and later a 15 year old Shoshone teenager named Sacagawea, her Canadian fur trapper husband and their newborn child John Baptiste, whom Lewis helped deliver. Together this team explored regions untouched by White Americans, and though failing to find a river passage to the Pacific or prehistoric beasts, their expedition was a success, with only one fatality.

Both Lewis and Clark had military careers: Before he joined the army, Lewis served in the Virginia Militia and was sent with fellow troops to help put down the ill-fated Whiskey rebellion (thes troops did not see action). William Clark was a veteran of the Northwest Indian war, and led riflemen in the that conflicts last great clash, the Battle of Fallen Timbers, where he played a crucial role in the victory. Their expedition, being military, was saturated with firearms, blades, and even a small swivel cannon which could fire 16 musketballs all at once.



Newfoundland: 26-28 in tall, 110-140 lbs (record 260 lbs)

Seaman, the Newfoundland Dog, would, like the rest of his breed have water-resistant hair, enormous size and strength, a bearlike appearance, and a protective nature. It kept Bison away from their camps and was always alert for Bears.