After the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803, President Jefferson commissioned Army Captain Meriwether Lewis and his second-in-command, William Clark, to lead an expedition to explore Louisiana and the Pacific Northwest. The expedition's goals included finding a navigable route to the Pacific Ocean and collecting scientific data on plant and animal life.
Thomas Mickell Burnham, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, ca. 1850. Museum Purchase 21.78, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming.