Happy Birthday, Meriwether Lewis! -- Journal Keeper for important voyage of exploration (Jefferson Administration)

August 18 is the birthday of the explorer Meriwether Lewis, born just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia (1774). Thomas Jefferson chose him to explore the new Louisiana Territory in 1804, and he in turn asked William Clark to be his partner on the journey. Lewis was the younger of the two, and whereas Clark was easy-going and friendly, Lewis was quiet and intellectual. Lewis kept meticulous journals and recorded everything they saw: prairie dogs, grizzly bears, and Native American tribes both friendly and hostile. When the account of the expedition was collected and published, most of the words were Lewis's.
Among the many written observations of geography, Indian customs, and flora and fauna, Lewis also sent back specimens to Thomas Jefferson of the most interesting things he'd found. Among the varied items were several living animals: four magpies, one sharp-tailed grouse, and one black-tailed prairie dog. The prairie dog and one of the magpies arrived in good health, and they spent the rest of their days in the nation's capital.
For his work, Lewis was paid a handsome salary, received 1,600 acres of land, and was made governor of the Louisiana Territory. But he was prone to depression and alcoholism, and he died in 1809, probably by his own hand.