Lewis and Clark Expedition
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
On Aug. 31, 1803, Capt. Meriwether Lewis launched a 50-foot "keeled boat"ย from Ft. Fayette, 100 yards downriver. This marked the beginning of the 3-year expedition commissioned by President Jefferson, which opened America to westward expansion.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On August 31, 1803, Meriwether Lewis eased a 50-foot keeled boat into the Ohio River near Fort Fayette, launching the journey that would become the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired lands to the west, the three-year trek pushed all the way to the Pacific and back. Pittsburgh, at the head of the Ohio, was the practical starting line for that continental adventure.
Why it matters
The expedition opened the American imagination โ and eventually American settlement โ to the vast lands west of the Mississippi, making this quiet riverbank a doorway to the nation's westward story.
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Related people
- ยท Meriwether Lewis
- ยท Thomas Jefferson
Related events
- ยท Lewis and Clark Expedition
Themes & tags
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