More North America
Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809).
History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, thence Across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed during the Years 1804-5-6. By Order of the Government of the United States. Philadelphia: Published by Bradford and Inskeep; New York, Abm. H. Inskeep, J. Maxwell, printer, 1814.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804-1806, directed by President Thomas Jefferson, is one of the most well-known expeditions describing the early American environment. Lewis and Clark, with their Corps of Discovery, were charged with finding a water route linking the Mississippi River with the Pacific Ocean, establishing American sovereignty with Native American tribes, and carefully collecting natural specimens and chronicling new species. The History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, considered the first “authentic” history of the expedition based on journals kept by several members of the party, was written by Nicholas Biddle, and edited by Paul Allen.
Louis Hennepin (b. 1626).
A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America: extending above Four Thousand Miles, between New France and New Mexico: with a Description of the Great Lakes, Cataracts, Rivers, Plants, and Animals… London: Printed for M. Bentley, J. Tonson, H. Bonwick, T. Goodwin, and S. Manship, 1698.
As a missionary accompanying French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, Louis Hennepin was the first European to leave a description and publish a picture of Niagara Falls. In 1679 Hennepin joined La Salle’s expedition to explore the Great Lakes, and by 1680 Hennepin and two companions decided to travel on their own by canoe. Captured by the Sioux Indians in April, Hennepin had the opportunity to see more of the Upper Mississippi, before being ransomed in August 1680. Hennepin returned to Europe by 1681, and after the deaths of most of the witnesses to his travels, he published Nouvelle Decouverte d'un Tres Grand Pays Situé dans l'Amérique in 1697. This English translation was printed just a year later.
Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813).
An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi, and Through the Western Parts of Louisiana, to the Sources of the Arkansaw, Kans, La Platte, and Pierre Jaun, Rivers; Performed by Order of the Government of the United States during the Years 1805, 1806, and 1807, and a Tour through the Interior Parts of New Spain, when Conducted through These Provinces, by Order of the Captain General, in the Year 1807. Philadelphia: Published by Published by C. & A. Conrad, & Co.; Somervell & Conrad; Bonsal, Conrad and Co.; and Fielding Lucas, Jr., 1810.
With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the American government was interested in exploring new lands and establishing clearer boundaries for the growing country. Zebulon Pike, a lieutenant in the United States army, was ordered to explore the Upper Mississippi, encompassing parts of present-day Minnesota, to locate the source of the Mississppi. He was then sent on another expedition into New Spain, as far as Colorado, where he attempted to climb the peak now named after him, Pike’s Peak. Pike’s party was captured by the Spanish and taken into Mexico, where they were released in 1807. Pike’s account describes his travels through the newly acquired lands, including accounts of the Native American tribes he came across.
John Muir (1838-1914).
Travels in Alaska. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., c1915.
John Muir, one of America’s most famous naturalists and conservationists, was known for his work protecting Yosemite and other national forests. In Travels in Alaska, Muir documents his journeys to the relatively unexplored Alaska in 1879,1880, and 1890, beautifully describing glaciers, wildlife, and the Alaskan environment. Muir was working on Travels in Alaska when he died in 1914.
John Bartram (1699-1777).
Observations on the Inhabitants, Climate, Soil, Rivers, Productions, Animals, and Other Matters Worthy of Notice. Made by Mr. John Bartram, in his Travels from Pensilvania to Onondago, Oswego, and the Lake Ontario, in Canada. To Which is Annex'd, a Curious Account of the Cataracts at Niagara, by Mr. Peter Kalm. London: Printed for J. Whiston and B. White, 1751.
John Bartram, an early American botanist, was part of a larger network of naturalists on both sides of the Atlantic interested in American natural resources. Finding a patron in Peter Collinson, a London merchant who helped underwrite and publicize Bartram’s explorations, Bartram traveled throughout New England and as far south as Florida, collecting specimens and chronicling his travels in his journals. Parts of this work are from Bartram’s trip with Lewis Evans, who accompanied Conrad Weiser on a mission from the government of Pennsylvania to the Iroquois, with the addition of Peter Kalm’s account of Niagara Falls.
Washington Irving (1783-1859).
The Rocky Mountains: or, Scenes, Incidents, and Adventures in the Far West; Digested from the Journal of Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville and Illustrated from Various Other Sources…
Philadelphia: Carey, Lea, & Blanchard, 1837.
Washington Irving, known for his stories “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” also wrote narratives on the American West. He wrote The Rocky Mountains based on the notes of Army Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville. Bonneville explored the Rocky Mountains from 1832-1835, and sold his notes to Irving. Prior to The Rocky Mountains, Irving wrote Astoria, or Anecdotes of an Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains (1836), which was partially derived from Robert Stuart’s journal detailing a new route through the Rocky Mountains. In total, Irving wrote three books devoted to aspects of the American West for international audiences. See a reprint of Astoria and The Western Journals of Washington Irving in the fourth floor Parents Gallery cases.