The Adventures of Lewis and Clark
In The Adventures of Lewis and Clark, based on the author’s acclaimed earlier study of the two great American explorers, historian John Bakeless chronicles the daily challenges these men faced — from encounters with indigenous people, snake-infested waterways, prairie fires, floods, heat, and thirst, to illness, famine, and frigid mountain passes.
In 1803, when the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France (for a scant $15 million), it doubled the size of the young country. Stretching north from New Orleans to the Canadian border and westward from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, the area contained over 800,000 square miles.
That same year, President Thomas Jefferson designated two young men as leaders of an expedition to explore this vast new acquisition, as well as other lands of the West. These two men were Meriweather Lewis and William Clark.
- About the author: John Bakeless was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. During his academic career and the years following he wrote several books about war, espionage, expedition, traitors, heroes, and biographies on America’s first explorers. Many of his works are used in classrooms across the country. Bakeless also spent many years teaching at various colleges and universities, as well as serving in the United States Army. He died in 1978
