William Clark's Estimate of Eastern Indians in 1805

Photo: American Philosophical Society

During the long winter of 1804-1805 at Fort Mandan, William Clark painstakingly summarized what was known about the Plains Indian tribes. This enormous chart was his attempt to collect a vast amount of information into a neat, systematic format. If he only had a PC with Excel!

The chart classified 53 tribes according to 19 categories, with fragmentary information on 19 more tribes. It was formed from seven sheets pasted together, divided into 22 columns and 72 rows. The columns show the tribe’s name in English, the name they called themselves, nickname, language they speak, numbers, and information on their trade, political relations, and territory. Despite its scientific format, it was a political document, and resulted in Jefferson’s, “Statistical View of the Indian Nations Inhabiting the Territory of Louisiana,” which he published to Congress in 1806.

Captain Clark sent two copies of the chart back on the keelboat in the spring of 1805. One copy went to his brother Jonathan; the other went to the secretary of war (and it cannot be found today). This chart is at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.