Episode Highlights

Meriwether Lewis: The Expedition’s Complex Leader

Why did Jefferson’s hand-picked man take his own life just three years after his triumphant return from the Pacific? Victoria Murden, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, joins other scholars to discuss how far one can go out and still come back.

William Clark: An American Hero? Clark is now seen as the stable and more reliable of the two captains of the expedition, but increasingly, many of his actions are seen as troubling to 21st century Americans. What can we learn from a man who engaged in both heroic and historically disturbing actions?

Sacagawea: An American Mythology The journals say almost nothing about her, yet we seem to “know” so much about this young Native American woman who made the cross-country trek with a baby on her back.

Law and Sovereignty: The Political Agenda in the American West As advance agents of an America exploration agenda Lewis and Clark set in motion legal ramifications which continue to complicate American Indian affairs today. In this program we explore the relationship between the American government and the sovereign tribes living within its borders.

Getting Along on the Lewis and Clark Trail The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a scientific exploration mission, but it was also a 28-month camping trip. Hear about the social dynamics of the 30-plus participants on America’s greatest journey.

Science in the Age of Discovery Lewis and Clark carried the best scientific instruments and knowledge of the time with them into the American West but the peoples they encountered had already learned how to live profitably on the landscapes through which they traveled. What was science like in the Age of Discovery?

Encounters of the Expedition: Landscapes, People and Self On the Lewis and Clark trail expedition members encountered new peoples, new landscapes, the limits of language, and ultimately themselves. Hear of the challenges they met along the way.

Unsolved Mysteries of Lewis and Clark Even though it is the best studied expedition in American history, large mysteries remain at the center of the story of Lewis and Clark. Who and what was Sacagawea? What happened to the iron boat? What happened to the dog? Why was Meriwether Lewis a melancholy man?

The First Space Race The Lewis and Clark Expedition is part of what is known as the “second great age of discovery.” This program places the expedition in the larger context of 18th century exploration and draws comparisons with the space race of our time.

Traditions of Medicine Meet in the American West Lewis & Clark were carrying the best medical procedures of their era but the Indians they met had well developed medical systems of their own, including the spiritual concept of medicine. Explore the physics and metaphysics of medicine on the Lewis and Clark trail.

Lewis and Clark as American Epic The Lewis and Clark Expedition has been called an American epic and the journals bear resemblance to the great epics of the ancient world. This program explores Lewis and Clark as literature.

The World of Lewis and Clark What makes this story so compelling, and so central to Americans’ sense of themselves? This program explores the phenomenon of Lewis and Clark at the time of the expedition’s bicentennial.

Legacies of the Expedition This program explores the twin legacy of Lewis and Clark, the immediate legacy following the expedition’s return in 1806 and the legacy of the bicentennial commemoration, 2003-2006. Special guest Maya Lin speaks of her historic commemoration project.