Lewis and Clark Trail Maps: A Cartographic Reconstruction, Volume II - Hardcover

Plamondon II, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874222427 ISBN 13: 9780874222425

Publisher: Washington State University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Beginning a short distance above Fort Mandan, 180 maps depict the explorers' route in 1805-6 on the Missouri River in North Dakota and Montana, over the continental divide to Idaho, and on westward-flowing waters to the Snake-Columbia confluence in central Washington. As in Volume I, the maps contrast modern riverbeds to their courses at the time of exploration.

About this title

From the Publisher

This is the second of a planned three-volume set to be published by the WSU Press delineating the Corps' entire journey, both outbound and return, in 1804-6. Volume I included 153 full-page maps of the explorers' route on the Missouri River from Illinois to North Dakota. Volume III is expected to be published in the fall of 2003 and will cover the route from the mouth of the Snake River to the coast and the return route that was different from the outbound route. All three volumes are being published in hardcover, paperback, and spiral-bound. Spiral-bound is especially appreciated by those wishing to examine the maps closely or make use of them in the field or when traveling by car.

From the Inside Flap

During the Corps of Discovery's 1804-6 trek, Captain William Clark used surveying instruments to measure the expedition's traverse to the Pacific Ocean and back - an astounding distance of 7,000 miles. Clark assumed that cartographers would convert this painstakingly recorded traverse on to well-crafted, accurate maps soon after the journey's completion. For a variety of reasons, this did not occur.

For nearly two centuries, Clark's invaluable survey data remained untapped in the expedition's annals. Now, for the first time, Martin Plamondon II has accomplished the cartographic reconstruction that Clark expected by utilizing the daily measurements and notes, the maps and sketches, and other pertinent information in the journals.

In addition to presenting key geographical and historic features, Plamondon's maps compare the modern beds of streams to their courses at the time of the exploration. Often the contrast is striking between what Lewis and Clark saw and what we see today. Some ever-meandering rivers have changed their channels hundreds of times. The impact of modern America likewise has wrought great change in places. But also today much of the terrain remains little altered, particularly in parts of Idaho and Montana.

Of further special interest in this volume are the many excerpts from the expedition diaries. This careful cartographic reconstruction is a captivating and never-before-seen record of the American West.

Edition details

• Publisher: Washington State University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0874222427
• ISBN 13: 9780874222425
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240