Mapping the Expedition

Historical Maps and Geographic Resources

Lewis and Clark prepared carefully for their expedition using the best maps and information available at the time. The area they were to explore was often simply marked as "vast territory unknown."

The image at right is part of "A Map of North America, Constructed According to the Latest Information." It was engraved and published by Henry Tanner in Philadelphia, 1823. Map courtesy of David Rumsey. See full image and learn more.

Below are selected links to information about the expedition, maps Lewis and Clark used to prepare for the journey, maps they made along the way, and other historical maps and information about the geography of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Selected Maps From the Library of Congress—Geography and Map Division
• Library of Congress, Rivers, Eden, Empires Exhibit
• National Geographic Society, Lewis and Clark
• National Geographic Society, Lewis and Clark’s Lost Missouri (with downloadable map)
• National Park Service, The Lewis and Clark Journey of Discovery
• Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lewis and Clark and the First Soil Surveys of the American West
• PBS Online: Lewis and Clark Archive
• Smithsonian—National Museum of Natural History, Lewis and Clark: Mapping the West
• University of Missouri, Lewis and Clark Across Missouri
• University of Virginia Library Special Collections
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)—Lewis and Clark Expedition and the USGS