Garden Foot Steps
       where plants and history come together













Spirit Mound, S.D
 
Thomas Jefferson 
Architect and planner of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Architect of Lewis Clark
1743-1826

BLOG

Starting April 2011 Jonathan Shares his Lewis & Clark Experiences


Starting with Thomas Jefferson at Monticello


 Jonathan blogs his modern botanical journey following the Lewis & Clark Trail across America
Jonathan Hoffman Lewis
Jon Shares his journals
BOOK

Lewis & Clark's Green Footsteps
 
 A Modern Journal of the Lewis & Clark Expedition captured through the eyes of a passionate gardener and plant historian


Book goes on sale 
fall 2011
 
 
 
Meriwether Lewis Lewis & Clark
Meriwether Lewis1774-1809
William Clark 1770-1838 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838
William Clark 1770-1838

Lewis & Clark's Green Foot Steps

Where Plants and History Come together

Jonathan and his wife Beverly have logged thousands of miles over two decades following the original trail of the Lewis & Clark expedition of 1803-06.  Similar to the original Corps of Discovery, Jonathan has compiled journals; taken thousands of pictures; and accumulated a 'ton' of reference materials.


Jonathan's  journey combines the history of Lewis and Clark with the plants that grow along the trail. He also looks at the role of plants that made up the expeditions 'medicine cabinet'. 


Through seminars and presentations Jonathan retells the Lewis & Clark story through the eye's of a historian and gardener. His modern journey is shared with audience of all ages across our country.
Outline of the Lewis & Clark Journey

The Journey Begins: April 14, 1804

The Corps of Discovery under the leadership of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set sail up the uncharted waters of the Missouri River.  

After a winter of training, planning, & preparation the Corps of Discovery departs Wood River and heads up the Missouri River into the Unknown!
Prairie Coneflower Ratibida pinnata
Tall Grass Prairie - Prairie Coneflower
Food on the Prairie
Animals like the American Bison, beaver, dear, bear and elk were abundant along the Missouri River in 1800's. The Corps of Discovery never lacked a meal on the Prairie. 
Ft Mandan Mandan Indian Dweling
Mandan Indian Home
Spring of 1805: Their Journey Continues
The vegetation grows shorter and more rugged as we move westward up the Missouri River. Plants like our native sunflower can be seen sticking their heads above the short grasses. The Shoshone Indian, Sacajawea, her new born Son, Pompy, and her Husband, join the Corps. 
Beaverhead Rock
The Source of Missouri is Found
Our water road turns to but a small trickle at we step onto Lemhi Pass. We are at the source of the Missouri!  We stand with one foot in Idaho and one in Montana looking at the beauty of the mountain's lined wild flowers. 
Clearwater River - Mock Orange
Clearwater River - Mock Orange

Columbia  River - Pacific Ocean In Sight

The river that sculptured the majestic Columbia Gorge is docile today compared to when Lewis & Clark navigated down it. Our early travelers could not have imagined dams, locks, and barges. The Columbia River of today has been tamed to a placid lake like body of water, but its shores still beckon the traveler to view its  botanical treasures. 
Ft Clatsop
Leave Ft Clatsop - Return to St Louis
On March 23, 1806 the Expedition leave Ft Clatsop. They arrived back at St Louis on September 23, 1806.  
Camp Wood River Winter 1803-04 Lewis
Camp Wood River Winter 1803-04
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri
Feel the grandeur of the tall grass prairies so vividly described by our  explorers 1804 journal entries.  Today this endless prairie is all but gone. Patchworks of these once endless prairies are beginning reappear: Spirit Mound, SD is a wonderful example of such a restoration.
American Bison Buffalou
American Buffalo
Winter 1804-1805
Near the present city of Bismarck ND the Corps of Discovery built Fort Mandan and hunkered down for a long and cold winter. The Mandan & Hidatsa Indians were farmers. They traded corn, dried berries & sunflowers for battle axes made by the Corps Blacksmith, John Shields.
Short Grass Prairie
Short Grass Prairie
Past the Great Falls of the Missouri
We will view landmarks recognized by Sacajawea as she approached the land of her Shoshone birthplace in the Bitterroot Mountain range. We will feel the excitement of Sacajawea guiding us up the Jefferson and Beaverhead Rivers past Beaver Rock and Camp Fortunate.
Castilleja miniata Indian paintbrush
Indian paintbrush

The Mountain Road  through Idaho

Idaho provided over half of the plant discoveries recorded by Lewis and Clark. Majestic mountain meadows of the blue camas, mountain bogs with false hellebore, and Mock Orange are but a few of our modern day botanical treasures. 
Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River
Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River

Winter 1805-06 Fort Clatsop

Near the mouth of the Columbia River our seasoned explorers settled down for another winter. They named their winter refuge, Fort Clatsop, after the name of a local Indian tribe. 

The lush surroundings provided a treasure of horticultural wonders, such as, giant Sitka spruce, rhododendron, Oregon grape, giant maples to name but a few. 
1806
In a letter dated September 24, 1806 William Clark writes his brother, George Rogers Clark,  that the distance from the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers to the Pacific Ocean is 3555 miles. It took the Corps 2 years, 6 months, and 4 days. 

TODAY
Today traveling by car and following as close as possible the trail originally taken by the Corps of Discovery the GPS tells us that we have to travel 2717 miles one way.

DISCOVERIES
The journals of Lewis & Clark record over 178 plants and 122 animals not previously known to science. Lewis recorded and preserved over 240 plant species.