Lewis and Clark Did Not Begin the Journey Together

The expedition remembered under two names did not begin with Lewis and Clark departing side by side.

Meriwether Lewis left Pittsburgh on August 31, 1803, aboard a newly completed keelboat. William Clark joined him later, at Clarksville in October. The Corps of Discovery itself gathered over time, as the expedition moved west and prepared for the journey ahead.

That staggered beginning matters. It reminds us that history often becomes cleaner in memory than it was in experience—and that even famous partnerships had to be assembled.