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A biography of Meriwether Lewis that relies heavily on the journals of both Lewis and Clark, this book is also backed up by the author's personal travels along Lewis and Clark's route to the Pacific. Ambrose is not content to simply chronicle the events of the "Corps of Discovery" as the explorers called their ventures. He often pauses to assess the military leadership of Lewis and Clark, how they negotiated with various native peoples and what they reported to Jefferson. Though the expedition failed to find Jefferson's hoped for water route to the Pacific, it fired interest among fur traders and other Americans, changing the face of the West forever.
Book Description
In this sweeping adventure story, Stephen E. Ambrose, the bestselling author od D-Day, presents the definitive account of one of the most momentous journeys in American history. Ambrose follows the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Thomas Jefferson's hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart-stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis's lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. Along the way, Ambrose shows us the American West as Lewis saw it -- wild, awsome, and pristinely beautiful. Undaunted Courage is a stunningly told action tale that will delight readers for generations.
Customer Reviews:
Corps of Discovery - a truely American Story.......2007-09-10
In this day of relentless boredom for most people, this book provides a venue for the imagination to travel in time that has almost been forgotten. The details of what went on before and after the "Corps of Discovery" allow the reader to understand more than the trip itself. This view from the balcony allows the reader to have closure on the leaders, members of the crew, and the adventure. If you are thinking of trying a new direction in life, read this book to see what others have gone through to explore a new frontier. You will find that the trials, discovery of wonders, and strengthening of your character can be very rewarding.
A courageous book!.......2007-07-03
Undaunted Courage is a comprehensive account of the Lewis and Clark expedition that was exhaustively researched and written by Stephen Ambrose. It will take time to read but you won't be disappointed. There are interesting stories and facts all along the way and it will give you a good slice of Amrerican History from that period.
excellent.......2007-06-24
This book is primarily about Meriwether Lewis and his role in the
expedition across the continent. Stephen Ambrose is phenomenally gifted in bringing history to life.
He sticks very close to the sources and only occasionally takes detours to make conjectures
about things about which the historical record is silent. Despite this the
book is a real page-turner. While Ambrose does an excellent job in describing the ups and downs
of the expedition, I do think that it is a very worthwhile reading the original journals.
I have only read excerpts, however, I believe they surpass even this book. Also, the recent PBS documentary
shows many of the locations described in this book. It is well narrated definitely worth seeing.
a compelling narrative of a courageous American's contribution.......2007-06-21
Many know the overall story of Lewis and Clark. Yes, those two strapping chaps who traversed across our country with that teenage Indian girl before anyone else did. Indeed, before reading Stephen Ambrose's near 600-page book "Undaunted Courage" I doubted how much truly "interesting" detail could exist in their journey. After seeing a few History Channel specials, I was convinced I knew the gist of their journey more than most, and felt that was probably sufficient. What else was there to really consider? As it is with most detailed historical nonfiction I read, I was surprised instantly. Not only did this book provide an intense examination of exploration in early 19th century America, but it is, in general, the most intriguing, intense, suspenseful, joyous, depressing, and inspiring book I've read in a long time. How Ambrose is able to exude such a variety of emotions in his writing I hope to one day discover. How Lewis was able lead people and conquer unknowns so successfully while fading so tragically I doubt I will ever be able to comprehend.
The book's title comes from a characteristic given to Meriwether Lewis both during childhood by a schoolmate, and, after his death, by Thomas Jefferson. It may seem strange that two friends of Lewis so separated from each other at such separate times in Lewis' life would choose the words "undaunted courage" to describe him, but if one is to simply observe the broadest aspects of Lewis' personality, such a description would only be expected. Indeed, the book is more of a biography of Lewis' life and his "undaunted courage" than a historical account of the journey itself. Certainly Ambrose dives into great detail of the journey, but it is always done through Lewis' eyes. The book begins with Lewis' childhood and ends with his death, giving the legendary expedition only about 3/5 of the book's content. This is not a downside by any means.
Ambrose's detailed description of Lewis' childhood, family, education, connection to Jefferson, and military history is not only valuable in understanding Lewis' complex personality, but is beneficial in understanding how Lewis was able to manage the expedition so well. From the very beginning there is a sense, as Ambrose hints at, that Lewis' upbringing prepared him for the unknown journey ahead better than anyone could've planned. The implicit vocational thoughts that come to mind are intriguing to say the least. Ambrose's pre-expedition account doesn't stop with Lewis biographical detail and, alongside his outline of Lewis' evolution from boy to man, he examines the economic and political aspects building up to the expedition from America's infancy to its firmer nationalism. This sort of context is not only helpful, but is essential for understanding the fair-weather friendship between the American people and the expedition before, during, and after the expedition. Details given, like Lewis' firm Democratic-Republican politics, may not appear a necessary issue in understanding the men as they pursue the landscape on the expedition, but in the pre- and post-expedition situations there is high relevance to Lewis' political relations with Jefferson as well as the influential Federalist voices at the time.
After outlining the events leading up to the expedition, Ambrose dives into the detailed planning Lewis put into the journey, his uniting with Clark on the Missouri River, and their party's expedition to and from the Pacific. Ambrose's narrative abilities had, up to this point, done well enough with the biographical and political context, but now, along with the heavy use of Lewis' highly narrative journals, they completely satisfied my reading wants. With the amount of Lewis' journals used in the narrative of the journey, one could even see the book as being written by both Ambrose and Lewis. Given that Lewis may be an even better narrative writer than Ambrose, the book is enhanced to the highest level of narrative historical nonfiction one could ask for. Accounts are always detail-abundant, and mostly firsthand in their variety of descriptions: relations with Indians both peaceful and bloody; songs sung and issues chatted around the bonfire; unique imagery of the plains, Rockies, and Pacific costal forests; hunting expeditions chasing and being chased by grizzlies; feasting on elk and buffalo; starving and scraping by on horse meat and roots; arguments turned to whipping and tribunals. Nearly every aspect one could want in an adventure is given with enough narrative vigor to turn its historical detail to an inspirational asset. Ambrose covers all sides of every account he is able to attain and after it all I felt as though I knew not only Lewis, but Clark and the rest of the party's members. I knew who was a good hunter and who wasn't. Who complained and who was helpful. Who Lewis liked and who he didn't care for. These are the types of details that make you feel a part of something (and to feel a part of the Core of Discovery is no boring trip).
After experiencing both the emotional peaks of success and the devastating disasters, I felt as though I didn't want the trip to simply return and have the book end. Perhaps Ambrose understands his ability to foster intrigue, because most of the detail he delves into post-expedition would probably feel unnecessary and boring without the companionship and connection to Lewis that is developed in the book. While the last leg of Lewis' life as a politician and national hero is probably the most emotional and depressing of the book, this section would not seem so intense and personal without understanding Lewis' somewhat supernatural vitality and leadership skills exhibited up until his return. Therefore, Ambrose wraps the book up in a successful manner I would think impossible, given the complexity of Lewis as a person. I felt as though every aspect one could inquire of Lewis was covered with such comprehensiveness and wrapped up with such clarity that even the most emotionally disappointing instances were covered in full by the artistic and historical impression Ambrose impressed. The reality of it all felt more inspiring than anything.
The book is quite long and took me a considerable amount of time to "plow through", but it never felt tiresome given Ambrose's ability to convey a wealth of information in a way that is concise with its detail and both paced and climactic. I recommend this book for any American whether or not you are interested in history. It reads better than any modern fictional novel would, but it is valuable in the way it describes the type of courage and determination that this country was built on and the fact that that brand of courage was not just some author's fabrication. It is by the daring and courageous efforts of men like Lewis and Clark that we are allowed to enjoy a country not only free from countries like Britain, Spain, and France, but one that ranges from coast to coast and from sea to shining sea.
A little up-and-down in its narrative.......2007-06-05
I have two favorite historians: David McCullough and Stephen Ambrose. When trying to describe their differences to my husband, I told him that David Ambrose is a tweed jacket with patches, a snifter of brandy and a roaring fireplace. Ambrose is a shot of whisky, jeans and flannel and an audience around a campfire. I appreciate Ambrose's style, for the most part, and knowing that he actually retraced most of the voyage in doing his research leaves me in awe of him. But the nature of this narrative is rather up-and-down, particularly working up to the party setting off from St. Louis. I recognize that the pre-journey preparations were important to telling the tale, but I got the idea that he was rather bored with it, and as a result the details weren't too compelling. I had to keep setting the book aside and coming back to it. But once he got to the story of the exploration itself, the momentum picks up, and so does his writing style. I appreciated his use of the actually writings of the Captains, but there were a few places where their entries were used too frequently in place of him conveying their story in a possibly more riveting style. But over all it was a well-written book, and I would recommend it to anyone that I already knew was interested in the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Book Description
In 1803, when the United States purchased Louisiana from France, the great expanse of this new American territory was a blank -- not only on the map but in our knowledge. President Thomas Jefferson keenly understood that the course of the nation's destiny lay westward and that a national "Voyage of Discovery" must be mounted to determine the nature and accessibility of the frontier. He commissioned his young secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to lead an intelligence-gathering expedition from the Missouri River to the northern Pacific coast and back. From 1804 to 1806, Lewis, accompanied by co-captain William Clark, the Shoshone guide Sacajawea, and thirty-two men, made the first trek across the Louisiana Purchase, mapping the rivers as he went, tracing the principal waterways to the sea, and establishing the American claim to the territories of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. together the captains kept a journal, a richly detailed record of the flora and fauna they sighted, the Indian tribes they encountered, and the awe-inspiring landscape they traversed, from their base camp near present-day St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River. In keeping this record they made an incomparable contribution to the literature of exploration and the writing of natural history. The Journals of Lewis and Clark, writes Bernard DeVoto, was "the first report on the West, on the United States over the hill and beyond the sunset, on the province of the American future. There has never been another so excellent or so influential...It satisfied desire and created desire: the desire of the westering nation."
Customer Reviews:
I can scarcely express how much I love these journals........2007-10-13
I recently took a college class about the hidden history of the West--and it was a great class, one of the best ever--but one of the books we read in there was all about the Native American perspective of the Lewis and Clark expedition and while it was interesting to hear that take on the subject, I couldn't have been more at odds with the discussion that followed, most of which had to do with the low characters of the men of the expedition, the subversive agenda behind it all, and the thought that the world would have been a better place if the entire undertaking had never taken place.
That's because, to me, there has never been anything cooler than the Corps of Discovery, than the journey West, than Lewis and Clark and their whole ragged crew.
Actually, I take that back: the journals they kept...those are even cooler.
From Lewis's insightful reflections, to Clark's lyrical descriptions, to their hilariously bad attempts at spelling, to the thought of moving unknowing into America at its most pristine, these journals have it all. This is the quintessential American adventure story, an amazing account of men against the unknown. This edited collection of the journals, well-compiled by Bernard DeVoto, is one of the greatest things I have ever read, and ever since reading it, I have had an undeniable love for Lewis and Clark, and for their expedition.
Words fail me, but they didn't fail these guys, because here is the West of 1803, vividly rendered for us all to see today. When I first read these in 1999, they convinced me to move into the wild, onto the water, and I spent seven months afterward living out of a canoe...keeping a journal of my own.
If you haven't read these journals, do yourself a favor, and do so now: read them. DeVoto has already made it easy for you, by picking out all the most interesting parts, and by putting them in context with a well-written introduction. You need this book, and you may not even know it.
A favorite for all ages........2007-04-05
Living on the Columbia River most of my living years, Lewis and Clark are very important to me. This book has been and is still my favorite Lewis and Clark book that I ever did own. I am a Lewis and Clark enthusiast. I admire and love history especially anything to do with Lewis and Clark. They are amazing people of the past that any age group would be interested in learning about. They invoked my interest into the love and joy of learning about history.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark.......2007-01-09
This was a gift for Christmas for my husband who became interested in Lewis and Clark when the journals were published in our area paper. He was very pleased with receiving this book.
Great Historical/Adventure Literature.......2004-01-17
This would be, if I could do it, a two-part review. To the source material itself, the journals, I would award five stars out of five--six out of five, even, spelling errors and all, for it's absolutely superb stuff. I have read a fair bit in the adventure and exploration line of literature, but nothing as good as these journals for conveying what it felt like to be on such an expedition. Often, it is the little detail at the end of a day's entry that works the magic; for example, when you read several dozen times about the mosquitoes and gnats being "verry troublesome," or "exceedingly troublesome," it tells you something. As does Lewis's quiet contentment with a bellyful of fresh meat after a long and weary hike. And, as Stephen Ambrose notes in his moving and evocative foreword to this book, the fact that these are on-the-fly journal entries--not memoirs--means that the reader sees the good and the bad choices, the discovery that went on along the way. You will probably recognize at once, for instance, that not all grizzlies will be as easy to kill as the first one the corps encounters, but they don't know that, and you are there to read of their changing opinion of these bears as they meet more and more of them. So the raw material is first rate.
The second part of my review would be for the editing, and I would give that four stars out of five. DeVoto, for all his erudition, does make something of a nuisance of himself from time to time. In the first place, he was clearly writing for the "Manifest Destiny" camp of historians--an outlook now taken with a few grains of salt. Here he is, for example, commenting on the earliest hostile encounter with an Indian tribe, "Indian bluster immediately collapsed and from then on the terrible Tetons were mere beggars. The moral of the episode was that a new breed of white men had come to the Upper Missouri, one that could not be scared or bullied. The moral was flashed along the Indian underground faster than the expedition traveled. It explains why the captains were received with such solicitous respect by the Arikaras," etc (p.34). So there's a bit of that sort of thing to put up with. Also, for reasons I cannot fathom, DeVoto inserts bridging passages, paraphrases, in certain spots rather than using actual journal entries. One of these is the death and burial of the expedition's one fatality. How did the captains and the other men react to this? I would have liked to know that. There's another such paraphrase covering Sacagawea's incredible meeting with her long-lost brother. What did Lewis and Clark think of that amazing coincidence? We're not told by this book.
All in all, however, this is a magnificent read, and my quibbles above don't detract materially from its enjoyment. If I have one suggestion for anyone looking to read this, however, it would be to view Ken Burns's extraordinary PBS documentary on the expedition first; your library should have it.
Hard to overpraise.......2003-12-16
The powerful experience of reading this book leads me to search my memory for comparisons. This was an Event in my literary life, but comparable to what, whom? Canetti's "Crowds and Power," Eliot's "Middlemarch," Shakespeare's plays? All quite different. Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways?" Unfair to that book to compare. No, this was a singular experience, unlikely to be repeated in its, or any other, genre. I want to say it was the most moving and exhilarating tome by any NON-professional writers in memory.
Through the diurnal accounts are discerned a spectacular natural panorama, an early American mind-set, an anthropology of native North Americans, and--as unexpected as they were inadvertent--self-portraits of two temperate, honest and altogether winning protagonists. Their spelling is atrocious (though we are happy the editor left it uncorrected), but as these were, after all, early 19th century gentlemen, they are characteristically eloquent, in the best sense of that word.
All the praise for these Journals is deserved. One needn't be a particular student of history to appreciate them--they are rewarding on many, many levels.
Book Description
Clad in a doeskin, alone and unafraid, she stood straight and proud before the onrushing forces of America's destiny: Sacajawea, child of a Shoshoni chief, lone woman on Lewis and Clark's historic trek -- beautiful spear of a dying nation.
She knew many men, walked many miles. From the whispering prairies, across the Great Divide to the crystal capped Rockies and on to the emerald promise of the Pacific Northwest, her story over flows with emotion and action ripped from the bursting fabric of a raw new land.
Ten years in the writing, SACAJAWEA unfolds an immense canvas of people and events, and captures the eternal longings of a woman who always yearned for one great passion -- and always it lay beyond the next mountain.
Customer Reviews:
Sacajawea.......2007-10-06
This is an outstanding novel. I am reading it for the 3rd time now. Each time I finish it, I give my book to someone else to enjoy.
I loved this book.......2007-08-16
I read this book when it first came out. I was 16, and this was by far the longest book I had ever read. What an amazing book! I really felt it captured the humanity, the feeling, all of the trials the main characters dealt with. After reading this book, I felt I had some insight into what these historical characters experienced and how much they gave up and gained throughout this expedition.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, but more so, to anyone who is interested in the actual people who made this story fact.
One of the best books I ever read.......2006-11-25
Never mind the first 5 or more beginning pages of Indian names, you'll understand once you read it, I loved it, I can hardly imagine any woman being as strong as her.
Too much of a good thing.......2006-08-14
This would have been an excellent 700-page book. Alas, it's over twice that long. Historical fiction is always bound by fact (and if it's not it should be!), and Waldo does a good job of keeping to the facts, with a few minor alterations. This is a wonderfully vivid book, with sights, sounds, smells and tastes (pleasant and not) rendered so realistically that you feel like you're there. Waldo's imagining of Sacajawea's childhood is very good and believable, though this too could have been cut down a bit. We all know where Sacajawea's life is headed, so get on with it, please!
Drawbacks: References to the Native Americans as "brown" get repetitive after awhile--yes, yes, we know, stop reminding us, please. (Do they think of themselves as "brown," anyway?) The depiction of Charbonneau is a real flaw--the man certainly was no prize, but he comes off sounding like a sadistic Pepe Le Peu--zee accent, she is rendaired phonetically, and there is absolutely nothing redeeming about him.
Ironically, Waldo's passion for the facts leads to a very dull book after Sacajawea returns from the journey with Lewis and Clark. We get to live practically every single day of Sacajawea's life after that (Waldo adheres to the theory the she did live until 1884 and is buried on the Wind River reservation). This means that she occasionally has to play fast and loose with the main character's age, suggesting that Sacajawea is as young as twelve when she is pregnant by Charbonneau, and that she gives birth to her last child around the unlikely age of 57. This also means that hardly anything is collapsed, condensed, composited or (God forbid) omitted altogether. Even if she wanted to extend the story for another 78 years after the return of the Corps of Discovery, the author could still have been more economical in what she chose to present to us.
A romance rather than an "epic novel" .......2006-06-13
Two more novels on Sacajawea were published in the new century. In comparison, this novel is far from a history. Unfortunately, it is a one hundred percent's romance. You know, a book with handsome Prince Charming and angelic Princess. And the princess is always so obedient and so happy to be with her man.
"She was feeling more and more as though she belonged with these white men. They accepted her as one of them. She was learning to speak their tongue." (p.525)
I am not sure if this is what really had happened in Sacajawea's mind, but, at least, she is totally differently represented in Schultz's and also in Glancy's writing.
However, if you read it as a romance, then, you'd know how come this book has been a bestseller for eight months on the New York Times list.
So, my conlcusion is if you read it as an epic novel (as quoted from the cover page), then, you will find 1408 pages are just a waste. Yet, if you read it as a romance, perhaps, you will get the catharsis that you had expected. (Sandie, Y.R. Lo, Taiwan)
Book Description
IT IS 1804--a historic year in America--the year that Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set out for their now-legendary exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, departing St. Louis to travel across the country to the Pacific Ocean and back. In this fictionalized biography of the journey based upon the journals of Lewis, Clark, and other members of the team, an unheralded member of the Corps, Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog, is introduced to young historians. Seaman travels the long journey with the Corps, serving a key role in the expedition's success, catching and retrieving game, and protecting the expedition team from wild animals and hostile Indians. Come along with Lewis, Clark, the Corps of Discovery, and Seaman as they meet Sacagawea who joins the expedition; form friendships with several Indian tribes; survive near-death encounters; grizzly bear attacks; and buffalo bull stampedes through the camp; cross the Continental Divide; overcome the wounding of their seemingly fearless leader, Meriwether Lewis; rejoice as they return to civilization in 1806.
Customer Reviews:
Fabulous book for the young reader.......2007-10-10
This book is based in fact, and done so very well. I have given it only four stars as the majority of the story, such as the dialogues and day-to-day happenings, is fiction. The young reader, such as my son, may very well take that book as all fact.
The author has done a great job bringing the young reader into the adventures that Lewis and Clark experienced through the use of Seaman, the dog, Her use of historical reference such as the diaries kept my the Captains and other written accounts kept by the members of the Corps of Discovery reflect the importance and difficulties of the jouney. Seaman is the comic relief in the story and keeps the young reader interested and giggling. I learned a few things by reading this book myself.
As a mother and historian, I recommend this book highly for the young reader.
Teaching Through Reading.......2007-01-17
I bought this book for my 10 yr old daughter for Christmas, along with 2 others. We have a Newfoundland and I thought she would enjoy reading this. She started reading it Christmas Day, and finished it the same day. She would read passages from the book to me. She learned about Lewis and Clark in school, but this gave her a better understanding of their expedition. Perhaps her teacher should have used this book to make the learning process that much easier. My daughter loved it! Any book she reads in a day will be on her bookshelf forever, and will be read many times over. Who knew history could be so interesting to a 10 yr old?!
I would recommend this book to any parent of a child who loves to learn through reading. It's off the beaten path, but that is what makes it so interesting. The children don't need to know they are learning history. To them, they are reading a good book. The added bonus IS that they are learning.
The Adventure of the Century.......2006-12-11
Seaman is a dog who has never been to the sea. When his owner sells him to Lewis (as in Lewis and Clark) his sea life adventure begins. He has to overcome Indians, wolves, the long winter, bears, and a rampaging buffalo. To go along with their troubles they get stuck on the Rocky Mountains with Sacagawea, her little baby boy, and no food. But of course it might get better, but it always gets worse. One of their crew members gets sick and the captains don't know what to do, and if that isn't enough, Seaman gets captured by Indians. If you like a good adventure or you like to learn or you like both this story is a combination of the two. Hope you enjoy the book!
Seaman, Fearless explorer of the west.......2006-03-20
Seaman: The dog who explored the west with Lewis and Clark by Gail Langer Karwoski 179 pages
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery set out for their now-legendary exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, departing St. Louis to travel across the country to the Pacific Ocean and back. Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog, is introduced to young historians. Seaman travels the long journey with the Corps, serving a key role in the expedition's success, catching and retrieving game, and protecting the expedition team from wild animals and hostile Indians. Seaman and the Corps of Discovery are joined by an indian woman named Sacagawea who helped translate the other indian tribes languages into english. Seaman and The Corps of Discovery form friendships with several Indian tribes; survive near-death encounters; grizzly bear attacks; and buffalo bull stampedes through the camp; cross the Continental Divide; overcome the wounding of their seemingly fearless leader, Meriwether Lewis; rejoice as they return to civilization in 1806.
I really like this book because I learned alot more about their journey and perils they faced. The only part in this book I didn't like was that Seaman didn't stay with Meriwether Lewis in the end. I would really recommend this book because it was fun to read and kept you wondering what was going to happen next.
Seaman, a brave and loyal dog explorer, who left his big pawprint on the history of America!.......2006-03-15
Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West With Lewis and Clark
by Gail Langer Karwoski 183 pages
The book Seaman started out with Merriwether Lewis buying the Newfoundland dog Seaman from a hunter. Lewis and Clark were getting their explorers ready to go explore the continent. All of the characters were real explorers who were in the Corps of Discovery. This book showed how brave Sacagawea really was. She never once panicked when the boat tipped over. She was calm and quiet. Seaman, one of the main characters, was a wonderful, intelligent animal. What I liked about this book was that I really enjoyed reading it. It made me understand the Lewis and Clark expedition a lot better, and I loved how they included Seaman along in their journey. Seaman was a really smart dog and he cheered the explorers up whenever they were sad and homesick. This book was also based on true events. What I didn't like about this book was how at the end, Seaman didn't stay with Merriwether Lewis. He stayed with John Colter and continued to explore the West. I wish I knew what happened to Seaman. All in all I loved this book! I would definently recommend this book. I can tell it is for younger readers, but I still thought it was a nice book. I think that any animal and history fans will LOVE this book! Seaman is so smart and he has a wonderful personality. I am happy I chose this book.
Book Description
The Lewis and Clark Expedition ranks among history's greatest adventures. Now, modern explorers can retrace the route and make their own memories with Traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail. This thoroughly updated version of this acclaimed guidebook traces the entire route, from Illinois to Oregon. It includes comprehensive inside information on activities, attractions, and visitor amenities along the route. A full-color foldout map helps visitors track their own progress along the trail.
Customer Reviews:
A Mighty Fine Read.......2007-06-28
If you're going down this Trail or even part of it, you'll want to read this little gem and take it with you for interesting info, tidbits and route directions. Two other wonderful Trail books are: Walking the Trail, One Man's Jounrey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, in which the author WALKS the 900 mile route of the Trail of Tears (by Jerry Ellis) and On the Trail of the Pony Express (by Jerry Ellis.) Walking the Trail was nominated for a Pulitzer.
Traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail.......2006-08-19
This is an excellent book if you are planning to drive the trail. It lays out a daily schedule with places of interest, miles to next stop, and how long it should take you. I was very happy with the purchase.
Our Bible for traveling the Lewis & Clark trail.......2005-01-21
Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail served as our family "bible" for retracing the Lewis and Clark trail (July 2004). While we had several guidebooks, we constantly asked "What does Julie say ... ?" Her recommended itinerary was very useful and served as the starting point for our planning. Overall, we found it very clear and accurate. While the book does not focus on "roughing it," we were especially pleased with the coverage of camping and hiking options along the trail.
We enjoyed having Julie along. (She was voted honorary member of the family.)
With Julie and a copy of Lewis and Clark's journals, you'll be ready for your own Journey of Discovery.
Attractions, recommended itineraries, maps & more.......2003-08-09
Now in an expanded and updated bicentennial edition, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail by travel author Julie Fanselow is an invaluable and "user friendly" resource that modern-day enthusiasts can use to retrace the route of the two famous early American explorers commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson after acquiring the Louisiana Purchase from the French. Filled with from cover to cover with authoritative information concerning activities, attractions, recommended itineraries, maps, black-and-white photographs, and more, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail is a comprehensive and enthusiastically recommended guide for any vacationer seeking to retrace footsteps of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their companions.
Just used it in the field: first rate.......2002-08-03
As others have noted, a well researched and well organized guide. There's now a competing publication endorsed by Stephen Ambrose, whose book "Undaunted Courage" sparked renewed national interest in Lewis and Clark. After browsing that one, published by Montana Magazine in a magazine format, I can report that 1) it has advertising, and 2) it omits details found in Julie Fanselow's book. Stick with Julie.
I do hope she has an updated edition in the works for the upcoming Lewis and Clark bicentennial. A few points of information need to be added or changed to keep pace with developments. For instance: starting in 2003, access to the Lolo Motorway, the L&C route from Montana to Idaho, will be by permit only.
Book Description
Venture through the unknown lands beyond the Mississippi with Lewis and Clark, their crew of army men, the slave York, the young Shoshone guide Sacagawea, and a dog named Seaman. See the party brave all kinds of hair-raising obstacles in its search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Rosalyn Schanzer's marvelously detailed and engaging illustrations work beautifully with excerpts from Clark's journal and other primary resources to re-create one of America's greatest adventures. From hostile terrain to helpful Indians, from boating disaster to grizzly bear encounter, the people, places, and events of this amazing expedition come to life on every page of this outstanding picture book.
Customer Reviews:
A Great American Tale.......2004-05-09
The adventure and thrill of the Lewis & Clark Expedition is brought to life here in a story that both children and adults could appreciate. In beautiful and carefully rendered folk-style illustrations, and with descriptive text from the actual journals of the participants, the book has the appearance of something that almost could have been written in the early 1800's, when the expedition occurred. Rosalyn Schanzer's personal interest in the subject, especially the journals and the Indian tribes, seems to bring out the best in the storytelling, which primarily illustrates the first 1 1/2 years of the Corps of Discovery's journey to the Pacific Ocean. The story is accessible and easily understood, yet the attention to detail should satisfy those trying to learn, and even researchers in this important chapter in early American History.
Lovely Illustrations.......2003-01-20
A very good book about the Lewis & Clark expedition. The illustrations were vivid and the best part of the book. I would recommend this book
Superbly presented in an exciting picturebook format.......2002-05-17
Set in 1804, How We Crossed The West by Rosalyn Schanzer is the true story of the incredibly adventurous Lewis & Clark expedition exploring westward from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean (May 1804 to November 1805). Superbly presented in an exciting picturebook format for young readers, the "reader friendly" text is taken from the original journals of the explorers themselves, though slightly edited for clarity. The wealth of illustrations are warm, colorful acrylic/colored pencil designs that bring a great journey through early America vividly to life. As educational as it is entertaining, How We Crossed The West is a superbly presented history and very highly recommended for school and community library collections.
"Primary Source" of Information.......2002-04-02
This book is an excellent example of a primary source of information. I originally bought the book because I believed it would be a good resource for teaching about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but after I got it and realized the text was created from journal entries made by Lewis, Clark and others, I was truly excited to be teaching from this book. There is just enough text per page so as not to be overwhelming to elementary students and the illustrations are gorgeous.
Outstanding Children's Book!.......2000-05-12
My son (4th grade)recently did a report on William Clark. He used several resources but kept coming back to this one. The day after he completed his project I sat down to read the book myself - what a treat! I think the information is so interesting - much of it taken from the actual journals of Lewis, Clark and the Corp of Explorers! The illustrations are a great compliment to the story being retold! Because the copy he was using was from the public library I am ordering one for us to keep. I look forward to finding more books by Schanzer - I hope all of her books are as well written and illustrated!
Book Description
Few events in American history have shaped the nation like the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It opened the American West for settlement. It redrew the map of the United States. It identified an array of native peoples, spectacular places, fascinating creatures, and extraordinary flora unknown in "civilized" America. It defined the American nation as a land stretching from coast to coast-and it launched the spread of population in a mighty frontier migration unlike anything ever witnessed in America before or since.
Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery contains 19 chapters, detailing the expedition chronologically. A "museum in a book," this fascinating volume contains re-creations of original documents such as diary entries, letters, maps, and sketches-all meticulously reproduced so that the reader can actually handle and examine them.
Among the documents included in the book are:
- The actual letter of credit Jefferson wrote to Lewis committing the U.S. government to pay for the expedition.
- The code Thomas Jefferson provided to Lewis for sending secret messages.
- Clark's sketch of the technique some Indians used to flatten their heads, a sign of prestige.
- Clark's letter of gratitude to Sacagawea, a Shoshone teenager who helped the expedition.
- A newspaper account of the expedition's return to St. Louis.
Customer Reviews:
A fantastic book, and great value.......2007-06-06
Much has been written, let it simply be said this is the type of book you can pick up for ten minutes and learn something new and fascinating. The pop-outs and pull-out copies of historical documents is wonderful. I've stumbled on it at a retail outlet and have since bought several more as gifts. A good investment for all ages.
Perfect for All Ages..........2005-09-16
I purchased this book for my daughter after we visited Fort Clatsop, Oregon where The Lewis and Clark Expedition settled for the winter. My daughter is ten years old and absolutely loves the interative features of the book, such as the replicas of the maps and journal entries from the expedition. The book was such a hit for my daughter's birthday that my parent's ordered the book and a little girl at the party ordered one also.
The replica maps and writings are a little hard to read as the writing 100 years ago has evolved to what we have now. But helping your child interpret these readings makes this book a true family book.
A Book that is like a museum!.......2005-01-28
This is a very fun book to read. It has many pockets that contain maps, receipts, and letters that look and feel like the real artifacts. One gets the feeling of history looking through these things. It is appropriate for young people, and adults. It is not a book to read though for the "details" however. I highly recommend this book to school libraries or young people with an interest in Lewis and Clark history. For details of the expedition look at Undaunted Courage, and/or Moulton's book.
Hard to believe--Only 200 years ago!.......2004-11-21
Keeping history in perspective is important.What is 200 years?I am creeping on to 70 and my father was born in 1891.So,it was only 85 years before my father was born that Lewis and Clark completed their journey.Another way to look at it is that Clark died in 1866 only 25 years before my father's birth.Not really all that long ago,when you think of all that has happened in that short time.
This is a very unique book,only 48 pages;but a real excellent effort.Scattered throughout the book are over a dozen packets containing authentic looking reproductions of maps,letters and other documents that were prepared along the trip.It's almost like handling museum documents.Also included are many excellent paintings of scenes along the journey as well as sketches,maps and photographs of important items used.The paper,printing and overall construction of the book is superior in every way.At the back of the book there is a wealth of source material covering,acknowledgements,credits,notes and transcriptions.
All in all,a first class book on the Lewis and Clark Journey that shaped America.
Fantastic Teaching Tool!.......2004-03-26
This is a wonderful source of material and has been most beneficial as a teaching tool for my middle school students as we study the Lewis and Clark journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase.
The pull outs are excellent and help students to really connect with Lewis and Clark as "real" people.
A wonderful addition to any educator's collection!
Book Description
For the first time in the two hundred years since Lewis and Clark led their expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific, we hear the other side of the story—as we listen to nine descendants of the Indians whose homelands were traversed.
Among those who speak: Newspaper editor Mark Trahant writes of his childhood belief that he was descended from Clark and what his own research uncovers. Award-winning essayist and fiction writer Debra Magpie Earling describes the tribal ways that helped her nineteenth-century Salish ancestors survive, and that still work their magic today. Montana political figure Bill Yellowtail tells of the efficiency of Indian trade networks, explaining how axes that the expedition traded for food in the Mandan and Hidatsa villages of Kansas had already arrived in Nez Perce country by the time Lewis and Clark got there a few months and 1,000 miles later. Umatilla tribal leader Roberta Conner compares Lewis and Clark’s journal entries about her people with what was actually going on, wittily questioning Clark’s notion that the natives believed the white men “came from the clouds”—in other words, they were gods. Writer and artist N. Scott Momaday ends the book with a moving tribute to the “most difficult of journeys,” calling it, in the truest sense, for both the men who entered the unknown and those who watched, “a vision quest,” with the “visions gained being of profound consequence.”
Some of the essays are based on family stories, some on tribal or American history, still others on the particular circumstances of a tribe today—but each reflects the expedition’s impact through the prism of the author’s own, or the tribe’s, point of view.
Thoughtful, moving, provocative, Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes is an exploration of history—and a study of survival—that expands our knowledge of our country’s first inhabitants. It also provides a fascinating and invaluable new perspective on the Lewis and Clark expedition itself and its place in the long history of our continent.
Customer Reviews:
Those who learn not from history repeat it........2006-10-05
Most good ideas are simple, and, as the title of this book suggests, it is a simple collection of some extremely profound ruminations by Native Americans on the acts and impact of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Nine extremely well educated authors were asked to address the effects of the Corps of Discovery for its bicentennial. They are not representative of the man in the street. They may, however, have captured the essence of feeling and sense of the collective beings of the many tribes whose lives were impacted forever, and give a foreboding of what manifest destiny may mean in the 21st century.
We learn facts, Sacagawea was not her name, she was not Shoshone, the natives shared their wives with the expedition, the Crows stole the Expedition horses and out traded Lewis and Clark by selling them nags, that the tribes knew of both oceans, had seen and dealt with Americans, Spanish, English and French before, that at least one of the tribes had sent emissaries to the east coast around the time of the American Revolution, and that Lewis and Clark, in reality, traveled fairly well known and used paths to the Pacific Ocean and back with the assistance of a multitude of tribes who fed and guided them. Although the natives viewed such a journey as difficult, there were regular trade routes established along much of Corps' path.
We learn too of the relationship of the "Corps of Discovery" to the doctrine of discovery that held the "civilized" countries could lay claim to all they discovered. Part of Jefferson's plan was to cement the United States' claim to the Louisiana Purchase. At least one tribe had to forcefully civilize the Corps when its members entered the homes of the tribe uninvited seeking food. After the starving Corps was reprimanded and made its apologies, it was fed.
We can also learn much of the Native American concept of God and the misinformation in Lewis and Clark's journals. The journal's report one tribe was a sun worshiping tribe when it was the custom of the tribe to worship the Great Spirit by facing toward the rising sun in the morning much as Muslim face Mecca. The sense of spirituality and connection with the land coursing through the various essays is the book's most powerful aspect.
We learn too of the absurdity of the "Great Father" in Washington concept. Though the eyes of hindsight, we all to clearly see how the lives of hundreds of thousands of courageous souls were lost by the "Great Father's" promises of help and threats of death to those who would not accept.
Cynics amongst us may see some parallel to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq in which the Great White Father seeks to help the people to his way of life that he knows is best for them. Our manifest destiny now seems to be to force our way of life on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Korea, at least.
None of the authors addressed this 21st century vision of manifest destiny, but none embraced what the white man did to their ancestors and their way of life. Perhaps more could be learned and more might be said. More harm has been done by those who say they are there to help than those who outright admit they are enemies.
I am no Lewis and Clark scholar. However, any thinking person interested in both sides of the story will find this collection of essays provocative and probative of the lessons of our past that have important application to our present.
© Hamilton D. Moore
Interesting, probably worth reading for L&C fans, but not a great book.......2006-08-06
It is clear from Undaunted Courage or any version of the Journals that L&C could not have survived without the constant gracious help of Indians (which is what they call themselves in this book). The painful historical irony is clear without reading the book, especially with the Nez Perce (who kept the expedition from starving when the tribe could have killed L&C and taken their weapons, and who were chased out of their country a few decades later by U.S. troops). What is interesting in this book is how the various authors address this issue in the 21st century. There are passages about how the Indians must have viewed L&C at the time, but not much new. Various tribes are represented, and they have their own views on Sacajawea. The concept of the book was good, and there some are very good parts, but overall it's not compelling writing or reading. If the purpose was to record these views in a book, whether compelling or not, then it serves its purpose.
An impressively wide-ranging set of essays charting more than just their journeys.......2006-07-08
Plenty of history books tell the Lewis and Clark expedition story from different angles; but here for the first time is the other side of the story from nine descendants of the Native Americans whose homelands were traversed by the two intrepid explorers. From a newspaper editor who writes of his childhood belief he was descended from Clark to essays which reveal family encounters, tribal law, or the expedition's long impact on tribes today, Lewis And Clark Through Indian Eyes provides an impressively wide-ranging set of essays charting more than just their journeys.
The Indians Have It.......2006-07-05
Only a man of the lifelong sense of fairness and perspective of Alvin Josephy could have had the idea of letting Indian historians weigh in on such a momentous event. Alvin Josephy's intimate association with these writers gives the title of editor way more weight that it would normally get. This is a very important book, the last effort of a historian committed to the Indian side of the story. He lived to finish it--as he lived to understand and tell the Indian story. I am personally proud to have worked with and know Mr. Josephy for many years and I hope this book inspires young people to seek the other side of the story.
Lewis and Clark through Indian Eyes.......2006-06-07
This is an important book. In 2001, I asked a Hidatsa woman working on the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial effort about sources concerning the Native American view of Lewis and Clark. She answered that there wasn't a source. Further, she said that no one person could write such a book. The tribes with whom Lewis and Clark made contact were different in many ways; including their forms of government and how they lived their lives. Her words were certainly true. That this book contains essays by nine authors having different tribal backgrounds is a long step in the right direction. Certainly there are tribes and bands not represented; notably, the Blackfeet Nation is missing. Further, because the editor properly chose to accept the essays "unfiltered," the reader has to adapt from one essay to the next. However, the book is easy reading.
Precisely because nine essays were necessary, it is dangerous to generalize the content of this book. Several of the authors admire the people of the Lewis and Clark Expedition but conclude that the outcome was no big deal. The European diseases preceded Lewis and Clark and the hordes of non-Indians that followed Lewis and Clark would have come anyway. Almost every tribe had significant contact or knowledge of white people prior to Lewis and Clark. They were aware of how the whites had treated Indian tribes in the eastern United States. A common theme reiterated by nearly every author is that their people have always been here and will always be here. The broken treaties, removal from homelands, lost population, distribution of reservation lands to whites, and poverty brought about by the European invaders are deplored; but the writers see hope in the Indian accomplishments and resurgence of pride during recent years.
The authors of these essays are writers, historians, and tribal executives. Each identifies his or her self with a tribe or combination of tribes. However, nearly all have lived much of their lives away from the reservations and have achieved success in "white society." After considerable thought, I decided that this was the proper choice. The vast majority of non-Indians like myself are so ignorant of Indian history and thought that we need an "interpreter." Who better than someone who has stood in both camps. Be forewarned, the introduction of this book is terrible. It is inaccurate, condescending, and unnecessarily contradicts material in the essays. If you have any interest in Lewis and Clark, history, or those Americans we often call Indian; read this book. Discount the introduction and read the essays twice.
Book Description
Join Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s Corps of Discovery as they navigate the muddy Missouri River and begin a great adventure set against the background of the vast North American continent. Lewis and Clark for Kids takes children from President Jefferson’s vision of an exploratory mission across a continent full of unique plants and animals through their dangerous and challenging journey into the unknown to the expedition’s triumphant return to the frontier town of St. Louis. Twenty-one activities bring to life the Native American tribes they encountered, the plants and animals they discovered, and the camping and navigating techniques they used. A glossary of terms and listings of Lewis and Clark sites, museums, and related Web sites round out this comprehensive activity book.
Customer Reviews:
Kept my interest.......2007-10-13
The book has many fun and interesting facts about Lewis and Clark. If you're using it for the classroom...the activities are creative and easy to do.
Lewis and Clark for kids.......2007-08-13
This is a perfect book for kids to learn about Lewis and Clark. Not only is it informative but also holds their attention by giving them useful and entertaining activites. A must for those not in the standard school system in the states.
A great resource for lesson plans.......2003-11-04
I found "Lewis and Clark for Kids" to be an excellent source of information and activities for both children, parents and teachers. There is an abundance of information about the actual journey plus there are great activities for children to engage in to learn more about the various indian cultures that Lewis and Clark interacted with on their journey of discovery.
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial.......2003-07-24
The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is here, finally! If you are still on your own undaunted journey of discovery or plan to teach children about these two courageous men and their corps, then you NEED this book. It will be invaluable to any teacher of intermediate students.
Four stars and a half!.......2002-04-03
I would have given this book five stars if there had been just a few more activities in it.
The book reads as non-fiction literature and is interspersed with good photos and interesting sidebars. There are also some useful activities for the child to do within the text to reinforce what is learned.
This book would be useful for all grades but can be read independently in the middle school grades. The book contains a glossary, index, web site suggestions, bibliography, listings of museums and parks and other handy references.
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The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition)
Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery
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