When Meriwether Lewis returned from the Corps of Discovery expedition, President Jefferson appointed him governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. The position was an honor, but it was also full of challenges. While Lewis was governor, the newly elected Madison administration adopted a stricter financial approval process. When Lewis' payment voucher were denied, it put his personal credit and reputation at risk. Lewis headed to Washington, D.C. to address these matters in person. He planned to get to Washington, D.C. by traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, then north along the Atlantic coast. But hostile British ships were patrolling the ocean, and he feared his journals might fall into their hands. Also battling poor health, he changed his mind. Instead, he traveled over land on the Old Natchez Trace. The renowned explorer, who helped forge a new path to the Pacific Ocean, finished his last journey here. At age 35, Lewis died at Grinder's Stand and was buried nearby.
