Wilderness Men
Tales of derring-do
feature in this new series about history's
great explorers. It kicks off by recounting
'The First American Dream: The Journey
of Lewis and Clarke', reckoned by some
to be the most significant trip in US
history. In 1803, just 28 years into the
existence of the USA, President Thomas
Jefferson bought Louisiana, a huge uncharted
tract of land, from France. Determined
to locate the mythical 'North-West Passage',
a land trade route between the east and
west coasts, Jefferson sent his 29-year-old
personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis,
and his old army colleague, William Clark,
on an expedition to find it. Their anticipated
18-month journey turned into a two-and-a-half-year
marathon.
(Copyright 2000 - The
Independent)
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