Why did Lewis choose Clark?
Twenty years before Thomas Jefferson even became president, he had dreamed of exploring the West. In 1783 he had asked William Clark’s brother, George, to take on the challenge. By the time the Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803, George Clark was unwilling to go so he asked his secretary of state Meriwether Lewis to do it and he accepted. Lewis left Pittsburgh, PA on August 30, 1803 in Pittsburgh PA and met Lt. William Clark weeks later on October 13, 1803 at Camp Dubois (in present-day Indiana). Clark had heard of this expedition and offered to join Lewis, and had even gathered a team of men to help. Lewis knew he was very good at handling boats, knew how to shoot, and was capable of surviving in the wilderness. They then named their team the “Corps of Discovery.” From Camp Dubois, they sailed down the Ohio River towards St. Louis.
