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Missoula lecture highlights Lewis and Clark’s scientific finds and the fate of their collections
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Summary
A Missoula lecture summarized the Lewis and Clark expedition’s botanical, zoological and ethnographic discoveries, outlined how specimens and notes were dispersed after the trip, and noted how some material was lost or published abroad.
A presenter in Missoula outlined the scientific contributions of the Lewis and Clark expedition and traced what happened to the specimens, notes and maps the party collected.
The presenter said the expedition produced substantial natural-history material beyond its cartographic achievements: dozens of plant and animal descriptions, ethnographic records of many Indigenous groups, and nearly 100 maps of the route. He noted that much of the material was dispersed to private collectors and museums and that some significant botanical and zoological specimens were lost or published outside the United States.
Why it matters: the speaker argued the expedition’s scientific records shaped 19th‑century natural history, informed later naming and classification of species, and fueled commercial and scientific activity across the trans‑Mississippi West.
Most important findings, as summarized by the presenter, included roughly 25 new bird species, descriptions that allowed later scientists to identify at least 34 bird species from the journals, and more than 200 plant species documented along the route. The lecturer said the expedition also produced ethnographic notes on nearly 50 Indigenous tribes and detailed meteorological, geological and astronomical observations used for mapping.
The presenter described the expedition’s preparation and equipment: he said Congress appropriated $2,500 for the effort and that the party bought surveying instruments in Philadelphia, including a chronometer imported from England that cost about $250. He said Meriwether Lewis consulted members of the American Philosophical Society and received instruction from figures such as Benjamin Smith Barton and Benjamin Rush on specimen collection and medical care.
On return, the presenter said the expedition sent trunks of notes, live animals and plant material to St. Louis; about 60 cataloged herbarium sheets were among the first shipments. He said many zoological specimens and ethnographic items were placed with Charles Willson Peale’s museum in Philadelphia and that a number of plants and drawings were taken to Europe by botanist Frederick Pursh, who published some Lewis and Clark plants in England.
The speaker emphasized losses and contested custody: he said parts of the botanical material were destroyed by water en route and that some collections were later dispersed or published by others. He described Benjamin Smith Barton as the U.S. recipient who never completed a planned natural‑history volume, and he summarized scholarship suggesting reasons for that delay, including Pursh’s removal of material to England and other archival complications.
The presenter read from Lewis’s journals to illustrate observational detail. Quoting Meriwether Lewis’s description of one aquatic bird, the presenter said, “There are two species of loons,” and then summarized Lewis’s field notes on the smaller species’ behavior and appearance.
The lecture highlighted specific discoveries tied to geographic points on the route: an “Indian turnip” (prairie root) eaten by Plains tribes near the Missouri’s big bend; early documentation of a bird (the common poorwill) near the Mandan villages that Lewis described as entering a dormant state; the western meadowlark and other species distinguished from eastern counterparts at the Great Falls; camas and wapato roots used by Columbia Plateau tribes around the Clearwater and Columbia; and the bitterroot and other plants collected near Travelers’ Rest and the Bitterroot region.
Finally, the presenter outlined the expedition’s longer scholarly legacy: specimens and journals from the Peale collections were examined by early U.S. naturalists — including Alexander Wilson, George Ord, Thomas Say and Constantine Rafinesque — who gave scientific names and descriptions to many of the animals and plants. He credited later editors and historians, such as Elliot Coues and Paul Russell Cutright, with raising awareness of the expedition’s scientific significance.
The lecture concluded with the presenter urging recognition of the scientific work alongside the expedition’s cartographic fame and noting that some original study skins and specimens survive in museum collections today. He closed by thanking the audience.
