NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

May 20, 1999

Tom Isern, Professor of History
North Dakota State University

©1998 Plains Folk

Meriwether Lewis, before he was Captain Lewis, was personal secretary to President Thomas Jefferson. The two worked out a cipher whereby they communicated in code. Subsequently Lewis headed up the Corps of Discovery and received detailed instructions for the expedition from Jefferson—instructions well known to historians. Given what we know of what Jefferson and his contemporaries knew about the mysterious Louisiana Territory, though, what other admonitions might the President have given his protégé in confidence? I imagine something like this:

"The ascent of the middle reaches of the Missouri will not be physically taxing, as its waters offer the finest natural highway. The channel is clear, the current gentle, the winds dependable, so that the party may proceed under sail, with only occasional resort to the oars.

"Such ease of travel will afford exceptional opportunities for observation of the native peoples and natural features of the territory. In your intercourse with the natives, take care to secure comprehensive vocabularies, for by linguistic studies among these wild and unspoiled peoples, it may be possible to determine finally their origins—whether indeed they be the children of a wayward tribe of Israel, or, as I rather think, the scion of ancient Welsh colonists.

"Be watchful, especially in the villages of the upper Missouri, for those physical features such as fair hair and blue eyes which be the signs of Welsh blood among them. The women of this fair race are said to betray their antecedents by the unmistakable consonance of their speech in passionate intimacy. The scientific importance of this intelligence is such that, should it prove feasible, a few of these females might be sent under trusted escort to Washington for observation.

"The natives of this territory, especially the Teton Sioux, will welcome you hospitably, for they are eager to initiate trade and to enjoy the benevolent protection of the United States.

"During your passage up the Missouri be diligent in securing supplies of meat from the vast herds of buffalo you will encounter there. The atmosphere of the territory, being dry and pure, is a natural preservative, so that in all likelihood meat can be well preserved by simple drying in the air.

"If needed, abundant salt for preservation and seasoning of meat can be procured from the Salt Mountain, which you will find in the vicinity of the great westward bend of the river. Caution is required in the approach to this shining eminence; it should be viewed only through slits in masks fashioned of hide, for the glare of this mountain of salt on a fair day has been said to blind the unwary.

"Meat will be plenty, and so you should charge your men on no account to kill one of the great woolly mammoth you may find along the northern tributaries of the Missouri. If, however, it be possible to capture alive a young specimen of this species, then you should send it downriver in a boat well fitted for its needs.

"Do not, however, allow this to divert you from the main purpose of the expedition, which is to discover the direct and convenient route by which the republic may engage in commerce with China. On account of the density of forest, it is not likely that, when you reach the highest origins of the waters of the Missouri, those of the Columbia will be within sight. If it be a still day, then command your men to be silent, and through the thin air you will be able to hear the westward-rushing waters and walk to them.

"During the portage, as your men heft the boats, yourself walk unencumbered, that you may make regular paces, and thus secure an accurate measure of the short portage spanning the great divide."

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Source: Tom Isern (701) 231-8339

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136