Page:Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition (1905).djvu/17

 rapidly proceeded down the Missouri and reached St. Louis on September 23, 1806.

It will be noted at once that in this long, circuitous course the explorers pretty thoroughly covered the Northwest, and their discoveries stand to-day as monuments of their rarely conscientious discharge of duty. The number of miles traveled by the expedition was, undoubtedly, between 9,000 and 10,000 miles, excluding ordinary hunting trips.

Briefly, some of the objects of the exploration were to explore the Missouri and Columbia rivers and their principal branches; take the latitude and longitude of important points; make a study of the Indian tribes; observe closely the country explored and note its possibilities relative to the fur trade, etc., and study its fauna, flora, geology, and meteorology. Lewis was particularly enjoined to