Cargo of Discovery

On April 7, 1805, the permanent party of the Lewis and Clark Expedition departed Fort Mandan for the Pacific Ocean while a detachment of soldiers and engagés under Corporal Richard Warfington went down the Missouri toward St. Louis. Their keelboat carried many boxes, packages, and trunks filled with natural and cultural artifacts intended for President Jefferson, along with cages containing four magpies, a prairie dog, and one sharp-tailed grouse. Fulfilling President Jefferson's charge to collect objects worthy of notice and to observe the soil, the face of the country, its growth and vegetable productions, and the animals of the country, especially those not known in the east, the Corps of Discovery recorded 178 plants and 122 animals that were completely new to the world of science.

North Dakota · United States