President Jefferson's Message About Lewis and Clark's Discoveries
2/19/1806
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President Thomas Jefferson sent this message to Congress communicating the discoveries of the explorers Lewis and Clark.
Transcript
To the Senate & House of Representatives of the United States.In pursuance of a measure proposed to Congress by a message of Jan 18 1803 and sanctioned by their appropriation for carrying it into execution, Capt Meriwether Lewis of the 1st regiment of infantry was appointed, with a party of men, to explore the river Missouri, from it's mouth to it's source & crossing the highlands by the shortest portage to seek the best water communication thence to the Pacific ocean: & Lieut Clarke was appointed second in command. they were to enter into conference with the Indian nations on their route, with a view to the establishment of commerce with them. they entered the Missouri May 14th 1804 and on the 1st of Nov. took up their winter quarters near the Mandan towns, 1609 miles above the mouth of the river in Lat 47 degrees - 21'-47" North & Long 99 degrees 24'-45" West from Greenwich. on the 8th of April 1805 they proceeded up the river in pursuance of the objects prescribed to them. a letter of the preceding day Apr 7 from Capt Lewis is herewith communicated. during his stay among the Mandans, he had been able to lay down the Missouri according to courses & distances taken on his passage up it, corrected by frequent observations of Longitude + Latitude; & to add to the actual survey of this portion of the river, a general map of the country between the Missouri & Pacific from the 34th to the 54th degrees of Latitude. these additions are from information collected from the Indians with whom he had opportunities of communicating during his journey & residence with them.
copies of this map are now presented to both houses of Congress. With these I communicate also a statistical view, procured and forwarded by him, of the Indian nations inhabiting the Territory of Louisiana, & the countries adjacent to it's Northern and Western borders, of their commerce & of other interesting circumstances respecting them.
In order to render the statement, as compleat as may be, of the Indians inhabiting the country West of the Mississippi, I add
Doctr. Sibley's account of those residing in & adjacent to the Territory of Orleans.
I communicate also from the same person, an Account of the Red river, according to the best information he had been able to collect.
Having been disappointed, after considerable preparation, in the purpose of sending an exploring party up that river in the summer of 1800, it was thought best to employ the autumn of that year in procuring a knowledge of an interesting branch of the river called the Washita. This was undertaken under the director of Mr Dunbar of Natchez, a citizen of distinguished science, who had aided, and continues to aid us, with his disinterested & valuable services in the prosecution of these enterprizes. he ascended the river to the remarkeable Hotsprings near it, in Lat. 34 degrees 31' 4.16" Long. 92 degrees - 50' -45" West from Greenwich, taking it's courses & distances & correcting them by frequent celestial observations. Extracts from his observations, and
copies of his map of the river, from it's mouth to the Hotsprings, make part of the present communications. The examination of the Red river itself, is but now commencing.
Th. Jefferson
Feb. 19. 1806.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 306702
Full Citation: President Thomas Jefferson's message to Congress communicating the discoveries of the explorers Lewis and Clark; 2/19/1806; President's Messages from the 9th Congress; Presidential Messages, 1791 - 1861; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/discoveries-lewis-clark, June 18, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Lewis & Clark's Expedition to the Complex West
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