: Investigation: Analysis of the Exploratory Process of Lewis and Clark

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were put online for others to have the opportunity to investigate this exploration. These first-hand accounts from the travelers themselves give readers vivid images of the types of things they encountered along the way. As I was browsing this website, I began to think about the interpretations. The professionals that worked long hours to put this together for us to view also had to read through writing that was old, very different from the language we use today, and could possibly be misleading. How would we know if these journal entries were true? The secondary source that I researched was written by John Allen, who explored the process of this journey and remarkably found many things that stood out to him as well as lining up with the information that was found in the original journals themselves. There were a few questions that arose for me after investigating the secondary source was knowing how accurate their journal entries were with the date, time, etc. Each person experienced different feelings as well and how do we determine opinion vs. facts?

Cascade on left bank Columbia River (Cascades of the Columbia)

An example with the journals that was pointed out were the actual dates that they were written. Research shows that the exploration started on August 30, but the letter Lewis and Clark wrote to Jefferson, said that they had actually left on the 31st of August. There is no August 31st entry, but the entry dated August 30 showed that they left Pittsburgh. 
From the secondary source which analyzed the exploration of their trip showed much of the geography and how it was in the western United States during this period. The Lewis and Clark case study gives a perfect examination of the geographic knowledge available to them and their relationship with the behaviors during the expedition. They were guided by their geographical knowledge. The origins of the first transcontinental movement west were determined by their reactions to the geography. From the journals, Thomas Jefferson gathered the height and how narrow the Rocky Mountains and the major rivers were Columbia and Missouri.
I often thought to myself after reading through the journal entries written by Lewis and Clark themselves that what they had accomplished was remarkable. Traveling through the harsh conditions of the winter and through the mountains had to an experience all in itself. Not knowing what you are getting yourself into and having to live off of pure faith. I wonder what type of faith they had and what belief system they valued. This was not something that was mentioned in the journals so I wonder if they did believe in Jesus Christ. Most of their writings were more information and their reactions to it for Thomas Jefferson when they returned from the trip.