Fantastic Journey

‘Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition’ celebrates a famous trek.

By: Matt Smith

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The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia is hosting a traveling exhibit celebrating the 200th anniversary of Merriweather Lewis and William Clark’s east-west exploration. The show features items such as Clark’s elkskin-bound field journal (top left, foreground), a trail map of the route (top, background) and "Buffalo Hunt, Approaching in a Ravine (detail)," a 2003 lithograph by George Catlin.


   In 1803, Captains Merriweather Lewis and William Clark were given a bold assignment by President Thomas Jefferson: Traverse the entire width of the continent, and become the first citizens of the United States to set sight on the Pacific Ocean; and, while you’re at it, discover an east-west water route (which didn’t exist) and get to know the natives.
   Lewis and Clark’s arduous three-year journey (from 1803 to 1806) captured the imagination of a young nation. Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition, a traveling celebration of the duo’s great achievement organized by the Missouri Historical Society, opened last year in St. Louis, the starting point for the expedition. It is on view at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia through March 20, and will roughly follow the route, visiting Denver, Colo., and Portland, Ore., before heading back east to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., in 2006.

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Merriweather Lewis


   Willard Whitson, director of exhibits at the Academy, has been integral in organizing the East Coast premiere of the engaging show.
   "I’ve been living with ‘Lewis & Clark’ for a long time now," says Mr. Whitson, "and I find this exhibit very interesting for some of the obvious aspects — this is a great adventure story, it’s a wonderful story about exploring the unknown, and the expedition provides a window into a time and place that is unique. All that is a given, and everyone embraces the whole saga of Lewis and Clark for those reasons. For me personally, one of the things that’s enlightening about this exhibit is that it’s very personalized, primarily because of the rich treasure trove of associated artifacts."
   Lewis & Clark features the requisite audio tour, multimedia elements and hands-on portions for kids, but the real stars are those artifacts, which include everything from herbarium specimens collected by Lewis (housed in the Academy’s permanent collection) to gifts crafted by the Indian nations they encountered. It would take at least a day to properly inspect every item in the exhibition, but history buffs should budget at least an hour, and maybe two.

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William Clark


   One surprising aspect of the exhibition is the pivotal role Philadelphia played in Lewis and Clark’s success, Mr. Whitson says. "Philadelphia supplied the intellectual tools — in terms of scientific information that Lewis needed to be the scientific eyes and ears, as it were, of Thomas Jefferson — and Philadelphia was also the place (Lewis) came to get material goods, the trade goods and the supplies that were necessary to mount an expedition like this."
   Another theme that runs through the show is the touchy nature of Lewis and Clark’s encounters with the many Indian nations, which each had their own personalities — from attitudes toward women’s rights and domestic behavior to their approaches to the acquisition of territory. "We have a tendency to think about Native Americans as a nation, one homogenous group of people," says Mr. Whitson. "But it is more accurate to think of Europe; the French are different from the Spanish and Italians… Each one’s like a country, and the exhibition does a good job of introducing the diversity of Native Americans.
   "If you look at our history books," he continues, "Lewis and Clark loom large, but they are relegated to a very minor footnote in Indian storytelling, or they don’t appear at all. From the Indians’ perspective, these were just a few foreigners passing through. Ironically, the implications of this brief encounter loom dramatically large in the history of Native Americans — tragically so."
   The exhibition is much more revealing than those old high school history textbooks when it comes to Merriweather Lewis and William Clark as individuals — including the tragedy of the former’s short life after the expedition.
   "They’re a perfect pairing," notes Mr. Whitson. "Lewis was the introspective intellectual of the two. He ultimately did commit suicide not long after the journey, and in my opinion, he had achieved such significance — they really were celebrities after this — that I think nothing in his life could compare to that.
   "Clark was a very direct person, a very practical person, and ultimately went on to great success in handling Indian affairs for the government," he continues. "He was the more balanced of the two. They were very different personalities, very trustworthy with each other, and I think were both were honest men, and very complementary. It’s just one of those pairings in history that just worked out."
   The expedition, for all its lasting qualities, proved to be a bit of a failure. Like many federally funded projects, it came in way over budget, and it didn’t have the commercial, political or scientific implications for which Jefferson had hoped.
   "They didn’t really establish any lasting relationships with the many (Indian) nations they encountered," Mr. Whitson says, "they didn’t find an east-west water passage, and the scientific information didn’t have a significant effect on the course of scientific inquiry in this country. Today, we look back on the expedition for its symbolic significance rather than for its actual effect in changing the politics and science of the time."
Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition is on view at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, through March 20. Museum hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. (and holidays) 10 a.m.-5 p.m. There is an additional charge to view the exhibit. For information, call (215) 299-1000. On the Web: www.acnatsci.org