White Elemity Lewis and Clark Gun Easy
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Because both Lewis and Clark made notations in their journals about each day there is an odd echo effect when listening to them. They recorded the
This was my ambitious reading project for 2021 - reading through the (nearly) unabridged Journals Of Lewis and Clark. While there are many different truncated versions of these journals, abridgments of various lengths, I wanted immersion in their Voyage of Discovery, so I listened to an audiobook of the journals that clocked in at over seventy hours.Because both Lewis and Clark made notations in their journals about each day there is an odd echo effect when listening to them. They recorded the same events, in nearly the same language, and in similar order. Picking out the slight, stylistic differences in these dual entries became part of the reading experience.
As to the contents, they noted flora and fauna, how it conformed or differed from that known in America or whether it was wholly new. They noted the Indian tribes they encountered, their appearance, habits, customs, and degree of friendliness or opposition to them. Accidents, setbacks, and hostile encounters, of course, were of interest. The behavior, actions, and discipline of their troop are examined in detail as well.
Reading these first hand accounts of Americans exploring the vast territory of a continent their nation would eventually inhabit was both fascinating and sad. Fascinating, of course, because of that experience of pushing into a world unknown and mapping its possibilities. Sad, because of the knowledge that their journey was the harbinger of the ultimate destruction and annihilation of the Native societies that they encountered along the way.
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In 1804, Merriweather Lewis and William Clark set out to what becomes their famed expedition. Along the way, they accompanied with other men and later Sacajawea. Thomas Jefferson wanted a team to go out west to explore new land and wildlife. They named some new locations and discovered new wildlife. All but Charles Floyd made it back; he was the only one to die during the trip. This book doesn't cover everything obviously, because it's a firsthand account, but there are neat little facts you can find elsewhere if you are interested.
There are a few reasons I was interested in reading this book. One: When I was in elementary school, I did a report on William Clark that ended up me being really interested in the whole thing, thus me reading other books about the trip. Two: I'm related to one of the member and have the same last name to another (related?). I forget how exactly, but I'm related to Alexander Willard, he was a blacksmith and unfortunately was whipped during the expedition. Then there is Charles Floyd, I mentioned his significance before. Three: The last reason I wanted to read the actual journals was the comic book Manifest Destiny, a fictitious account of the travels, but with monsters like Sasquatch. The original journals have nothing fantastical about them, but I ended up finding them just as exciting. Oddly, the comic book does a good job mimicking how Lewis and Clark described the wildlife.
I think my favorite part about reading this journal was the wildlife. The descriptions aren't that good at sometimes, but this book makes me feel like I'm exploring with them at times. One thing I learned (or maybe relearned) was how much they contributed with science. I remember learning they discovered some animals and plants, but didn't really think anything of it until now for some reason. Imagine seeing a grizzly bear for the first time or a herd of buffalo or some other animal you never knew existed. Today, it seems like most animals are discovered, but I hear about new animals at least once a year. I can see why that comic book I mentioned earlier would have them meet Sasquatch. Lewis, Clark, and Jefferson didn't know what was out there in the great unknown.
I also liked when they talked about other members in the party, mostly the ones I mentioned and Sacagawea. Most people today know her as the woman who pointed her finger and helped them not get lost. I think she deserves more credit. She helped them communicate with other Natives, she told them what to eat and not to eat, and Clark seemed to care about her and her child. I think people forget that she was a mother. She not only did gave birth, but she raised a baby boy during the trip. They had some harsh weather and environments, its impressive any of them made it back alive.
The survival part, to me, was the most impressive thing about this event; this is something I never thought before. These people had to be really fit and healthy to make it back alive. They weren't just camping for a few days or a week. They were gone a little over two years. They had to survive during harsh weather like hard rain and cold winters. They had to hunt for food and gamble what was edible or not. They didn't have cellphones or the technology to contact loved ones; we take these things for granted. I'm sure someone could do what Lewis and Clark did today, but I'm not sure I could last as long as they did on their trip.
There some other things I like in this book as well. I liked the opening letter Thomas Jefferson wrote Lewis explaining what he wants them to do on the trip, what he hopes they find, and to record everything in as much detail as possible. There's a list of all the things they brought giving the price of each item. That part can get boring, but it's neat if you're into that kind of thing. There is a list of questions Clark had about the Native Americans, today, this list looks a little weird, but I think it's important to keep in mind Clark was curious learning about a new culture. I mentioned this before, but this book also includes some illustrations. Not sure if Penguin included them all or not, but they are worth the look.
I think I mentioned everything I wanted to in this review. I can get nerdy about this and the Salem Witch Trial when it comes to American history. This book isn't the best-written historical document; it's more something you read if you're actually interested in the topic. To some people, and I completely understand, this book gets dry at points. Do we really need to know as a reader what the weather was like every day or do we need to know all the numbers and measurements? Not really, but at the same time Lewis and Clark's journals weren't written with a bestseller audience in mind. They were writing these for Jefferson and others. A modern reader however might get a good adventure story or an interesting look at early American life and wildlife. Overall, I had fun reading this book.
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If you want to know what it takes to survive in the wilderness, read these journals.
I feel like the general sentiment these days is that Lewis and Clark are both stereotypical, ignorant dorks who crossed America just with Sacagewea to help them and that she pretty much did all the heavy lifting for them. That Lewis was the pansy sort of intellectual and Clark the somewhat uneducated but man's man co-captain.
Not true in the slightest.
For one thing, they had 33 companion
These dudes....Seriously.If you want to know what it takes to survive in the wilderness, read these journals.
I feel like the general sentiment these days is that Lewis and Clark are both stereotypical, ignorant dorks who crossed America just with Sacagewea to help them and that she pretty much did all the heavy lifting for them. That Lewis was the pansy sort of intellectual and Clark the somewhat uneducated but man's man co-captain.
Not true in the slightest.
For one thing, they had 33 companions with them, including Sacagawea's husband and a French trapper, both of whose names Lewis and Clark routinely butcher (the dorks).
They were also both terrible spellers, another endearing trait.
And while Sacagawea certainly helped them, it's not like she blazed the trail and were followed by the "ignorant non-natives" who were completely helpless. Nope. Not at all.
In fact, I surprised myself by growing quite fond of them both, though I'll admit I preferred Clark, and though the journals are hardly page turners, there ARE rather intense moments and also rather endearing moments as well. Not necessarily in what these two say, but how they say it.
Honestly, just...Read this. Seriously. It's abridged, it's fun, it's interesting...And it's history that reads like fiction. The best kind.
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The prose is stunning as the tw
Maybe I'm a sap. I don't know. This book was enthralling from start to finish. One of the most pivotal moments in American history as Merriwether Lewis and William Clark set off on a brave expedition of what would soon become United States territory. Sent on a mission of exploration and commerce by Thomas Jefferson this duo and their cohorts endure hardship after hardship on their quest to follow the Missouri River to its headwaters and to the Pacific Ocean beyond.The prose is stunning as the two leaders trade off journaling duties. They blithely describe sights never before seen by white men, and now never to be seen again. Massive herds of bison. Yellowstone park untouched by development hands, roadless expanses of the North American west.
This is a must read for history buffs, or simply adventurers. These two young men make our thrill-seeking generation look demure and unaccomplished.
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I've followed many parts of the trails while reading their words. I've stood where they stood and I've read their words while envisioning what they saw.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark are words that can change your life. This is
A journal entry or two a day for nearly a year and it was worth every word and hour. Clark wasted no words while Lewis was a story teller and their cohesive voices took me on an uncharted journey to the west coast through land that no white man had yet seen at that time.I've followed many parts of the trails while reading their words. I've stood where they stood and I've read their words while envisioning what they saw.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark are words that can change your life. This is historical reading at its finest.
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Next to the first installment of The Diary of Anaïs Nin, this is my favorite literary work pulled from journals, letters, diaries, etc. ever. Loved i
I finished this many years ago but was reminded of it after making a stupid drunken comment on someone else's progress with Mason and Dixon. Reason: Similar atmosphere in both books, and I really think Pynchon used this as a reference for writing M&D as the tone is similar, as well as word choices and even the Germanic use of random capital letters.Next to the first installment of The Diary of Anaïs Nin, this is my favorite literary work pulled from journals, letters, diaries, etc. ever. Loved it more than Whitman's Specimen Days Among others. I'm only bothering to write this because of two reasons: (1) Really loved it and (2) I cannot believe that none of the otherwise adventurous and erudite people I stalk on GoodReads have never read it.
I will divide this review into two parts.
Part one: The Story. Okay so two guys and a huge number of military dudes from the earliest years of the 1800s took on an expedition from St Louis to some shoreline in what is now called Washington. They had one single casualty and that was due to an illness conceived by the victim before they had left St Louis. Outdoors(!): the expedition experimented with so many ways of survival and travel. They left with some lame boots out of St Louis which fell apart and Indians (I'm going to call them that) taught them how to make much better moccasins. Indians also showed them how to make canoes your better eventually traverse the white water rapids of many rivers and creeks. This leads me to Politics(!): hey did you know that Indians aren't just cool idiots who taught this expedition how to do stuff like this because it was in their nature to do so? For most of these tribes, it was their first contact with white people. Wow, much diplomacy. Seriously. These tribes ended up being mainly displaced and exterminated by later white people. We've all heard this narrative but let the one of this expedition amaze you with its humanity and ingenious diplomacy. It was an Indian tribe who took this expedition in when they reached the Pacific Ocean and helped them survive the harsh Washington State winter before they returned to St. Louis. This was a manly and adult expedition and the relations between the white males in the expedition and the Native Americans is so fucking righteous it's a real goddamn shame that every other person to go west had to face political warfare with the natives after too much posturing and insensitive colonialism by just a few white people with a short attention span, low IQ and a power complex.
Part two: flora and fauna and writing. Lewis and Clark were scientists and writers. Highly educated. And amazing writing. Imagine National Geographic limited to just writing instead of edited videos and pictures and they're exploring huge areas of new land and these are the two guys chosen to do it. Yes! Yes it's that good. They document all the new plants they find. They document all the new animals. Most notable was the grizzly bear. The composed writing about this animal which continues to terrorize today is amazing. The familiar bear to Europeans in England's new world was the black bear, which was something like an overgrown raccoon. I mean, it is. This expedition captures the first time educated white people ever met a grizzly bear, which is brown and generally three times the size of a black bear. Why do I say "educated white people"? Because back then being able to write was like having an iPhone with YouTube. This is the first account of that experience. Not a single man in the expedition was killed by a grizzly. They noted that the way to kill this bear (which would stand on its hind legs, roar while showing its fangs and claws upon encounter) was to shoot it between the eyes. These men were carrying muskets.
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Sacajawea steals the show in the early part of the book. These great men really depend on her. She guides them, teaches them what to eat and translates. Her husband was a bit of an ass-always getting sore feet, sinking a boat, unable to swim, but they got to take him along because they need her. 2 we
Wow. I was expecting something slow but this was a thriller. Seeing the great West unfold before these men was an exciting read. Made me wonder why I read fictional adventures when this is out there…Sacajawea steals the show in the early part of the book. These great men really depend on her. She guides them, teaches them what to eat and translates. Her husband was a bit of an ass-always getting sore feet, sinking a boat, unable to swim, but they got to take him along because they need her. 2 weeks into picking her up, she gives birth to a baby and she hauls this kid around the entire 2-3 years. When she takes ill, the entire company (50 or so men) all halt and L&C personally see to her health. They are constantly sending out scout parties before the larger group presses on and you repeated hear that the scout crew consisted of "Myself (L or C), 2 lieutenants, the Indian woman and her baby." The baby? Seriously? How did she feed the damn thing?
The most dramatic moment occurs at a meeting with the Snake Indians. She is sitting with L&C when the Chief enters the scene and she breaks down crying because one of the Chief's men is her brother. Turns out she was kidnapped from the Snakes during a war and hadn't seen him for years. This is why she knows the way and can speak so many languages. What life brings.
L&C give some extraordinary accounts of the West of course. This was a group under orders from President Jefferson. They went about notifying each group they encountered-trappers or Indians-that these lands were now under the power of the US. There are even a few stand-offs with guns drawn. They recorded what they saw, taking geological surveys, and their encounters with different animals including Grizzlies and "little wolves" (coyotes). They send a live prairie dog back to the President. They also discuss the various Indian customs and compare the different tribes. One interesting issue is that L&C's men had sex all up and down the west as the Indian men offered them their women. VD became serious problem.
Interesting how the two leaders differed. Lewis is very introspective in his writing and can be hard on himself. He eventually (years later) commits suicide. Clark is matter of fact but he also ends up the one who is truly thankful to Sacajawea and provides for the education of her child.
An amazing adventure story. An easy read. Highly recommended for any American.
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The journal combines the two Lewis and Clark journals chronologically together. It's interesting at times to read how some events are remembered and recorded differently by two different perspectives. However, a majority of the events are similarly recounted by the two, which makes for in essence a lot of repeated entries and thus bloat to skim.
I've seen before people describe the party's trek as braving the virgin American wilderness. It is clear from the journal this is not the case to a huge degree. All along the expedition route a network of near continous native American communities are present and actively extend their aid and supplies, sometimes freely and sometimes through barter. Truly, the Tribes deserve as much claim to participation and success to the mission as the American government.
For eye-opening anylysis highlighting the various backing personalities, politics, sciences, and technologies of the era toward the development and continued support of the expedition, I recommend Stephen Ambrose's book.
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I read this along with "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. He did good job at bringing in all the surrounding history, maps, sources, and the journals of the other men who went along on the expedition. But, re
Love the source materials. So often I read the stuff in it's translated form from throughout history. But here, oh HERE, I can read Lewis' Americana before Americana even had a name. The grammar and spelling is classic, and the whole thing can easily rival any fiction you might pick up.I read this along with "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. He did good job at bringing in all the surrounding history, maps, sources, and the journals of the other men who went along on the expedition. But, really, it doesn't compare to reading Lewis and Clark's own words.
Just, if you like American History and you're big on source materials, you need to get yourself a copy and read through it. No doubt hearing what the party eats and kills, every day, gets tiresome but even that kinds of builds on itself until they get to the Bitteroots.
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Two and a half years later............
I've easy-chair traveled with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for two and half years now, having read this DeVoto-edited (original language) and Brandt-edited (mediated spelling, punctuation) diaries of the Corps of Discovery's westward expedition in real time.
It was
Stepping off with Lewis and Clark on their There And Back Again adventure. Journals start on May 14, 1804 and end in September 1806. Going to read in "real time" so I'll be done in 2018.....Two and a half years later............
I've easy-chair traveled with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for two and half years now, having read this DeVoto-edited (original language) and Brandt-edited (mediated spelling, punctuation) diaries of the Corps of Discovery's westward expedition in real time.
It was interesting to read the versions simultaneously, day by day, both to watch the adventure unfold and to compare the abridgments, often wondering why one or the other of the editors chose to include or leave out certain entries.
Both versions include valuable appendices detailing Jefferson's instructions, expedition personnel, supplies brought with, and treasures sent home.
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The spelling of Lewis and Clark is somewhat distracting, challenging, but yet... entertaining... insight into the customs and peoples that existed were informative and contrary to popular ideas. It's interesting how history gets twisted in the popular media, press and even our public schools.
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It consists of the original notes taken mainly by Clark but also some entries by Lewis during their famous expedition.
It rambles, the spelling is atrocious and not even consistently atrocious. Quite often one reads the entry for a date then finds it is followed by another, expanded entry for the same date.
It is hard work to read, just as it would be difficult to read the original notes and drafts of most books. So I am regarding it as an elephan
This is a huge book and quite difficult to read.It consists of the original notes taken mainly by Clark but also some entries by Lewis during their famous expedition.
It rambles, the spelling is atrocious and not even consistently atrocious. Quite often one reads the entry for a date then finds it is followed by another, expanded entry for the same date.
It is hard work to read, just as it would be difficult to read the original notes and drafts of most books. So I am regarding it as an elephant task, just biting off chunks every now and again, in between reading other books.
(much later) I have given up. I don't eat elephants anyway. Just not worth the effort. Someday I will read a book of the Lewis and Clark expedition, based on these diaries, but which is not so exhausting
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I had read Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage a few weeks ago, and so I thought this might be interesting. I quickly got bored and unenthusiastic. Some people might like it for its historical value as a firsthand account, but the edition I read was abridged, a watered-down four hundred or so pages.
This isn't a must-read. Maybe Gary Moulton's 13-volume set is. But, still, how exciting can a journal be...? Ehhh...I gave up on this.
I had read Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage a few weeks ago, and so I thought this might be interesting. I quickly got bored and unenthusiastic. Some people might like it for its historical value as a firsthand account, but the edition I read was abridged, a watered-down four hundred or so pages.
This isn't a must-read. Maybe Gary Moulton's 13-volume set is. But, still, how exciting can a journal be...? ...more
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