Click to Enlarge In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson ordered an exploration of the Missouri River to determine whether it was the best way to travel west to the Pacific Coast. Click to Enlarge Lewis' telescope helped him spot game and look at the stars. Click to Enlarge Lewis and Clark, along with Seaman, Lewis' dog, stand on a high bluff to survey the Missouri River. Clark kept his gunpowder dry in his powder horn (right photo)   The River Before Time Jim H. Wilson The Missouri River provided an avenue into the new frontier. The Missouri River has been flowing for thousands of years. It starts as a mere trickle high in the Rocky Mountains and flows out across the high plains and right down the middle of what we now call Missouri. For many years, the river meandered between ancient bluffs. It cut through prairies. It dug new channels. Sometimes the channels separated and then came back together. The river has always drawn people to its banks. Native Americans often camped or lived along the river or the small streams that flowed into it. They hunted, fished, trapped and traveled along the river. The land from the Rocky Mountains to the green, wooded hills and valleys near the Mississippi River was said to be part of the "New World." Because it didn't appear to be owned or controlled by anyone, early explorers from France claimed it for their home country and named it all "Louisiana," in honor of the French King Louis XIV. In 1762, France gave to their rights to the land toSpain. The western part of what is now the United States was under Spanish control for the next 40 years. About 200 years ago, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to give the territory back to France. Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, arranged to buy the land from France. The Louisiana Purchase was so big that it doubled the size of the United States. It also allowed the young nation to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean. Before the Louisiana Purchase, the Mississippi River was our western border. There were stories and even books about the new land, but no one really knew for sure what was there. Some people claimed that giant wooly mastodons, 7-foot tall beavers and, even, unicorns lived there. Maps were no better. The whole middle of the map of the Louisiana Purchase was mostly just blank white space. Of course, there were no roads or cities. The whole area was unexplored. President Jefferson had a vision that the vast region would someday be filled with small farms. He knew that the Missouri River was the main avenue to the middle of the country. In 1803, President Jefferson sent two army officers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, to lead an expedition into this new land. They were to explore the Missouri River and the major streams that connected with it. Specifically, they were to look for the fabled "Northwest Passage," a water route that supposedly led to the western coast of North America. Along the way, Lewis and Clark were to make detailed observations of the region's geography, mineral resources, soils and plant and animal life. They were to collect scientific specimens, attempt to observe and establish friendships with the native people and identify possible trading opportunities. The explorers carefully selected about 30 hardy men for the adventure. The group was referred to as the "Corps of Discovery." Seaman, a large Newfoundland retriever dog which belonged to Captain Lewis, accompanied the group all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back. Captains Lewis and Clark collected everything they thought they would need for this trip. Their gear weighed many tons. Many of the items were gifts for the native people they would meet on their two-year trip. In 1804, they sailed, rowed and pulled their way up the Missouri River, into the heart of the region. The Corps of Discovery returned more than two years later. They had failed to find a water route to the western ocean, but they had explored a new land. During their travels, they described and named hundreds of geographic and landscape features, and they documented the native people that lived throughout the region. Although the expedition never encountered mastodons or unicorns, they did find 122 species or subspecies of animals that had been unknown to science. They also found 178 plant species that had never been recorded. The courage and dedication of Lewis and Clark and their band of explorers infused our young and growing nation with a spirit of adventure and discovery. Their exploits continue to inspire us today, 200 years after America's Corps of Discovery.