Nicholas King, Meriwether Lewis, & William Clark, Lewis and Clark Map (1803)

Cartographer Nicholas King created this map in 1803 for the purpose of synthesizing all the topographical information of North America west of the Mississippi River that was known at that time. He drew upon maps from other famous cartographers, specifically Aaron Arrowsmith's 1802 map of North America, to aid in the creation of this map. The word “Conjectural", spread across a large portion of the left side of the map, highlights how much land was unknown to the Americans. These areas were populated by dozens of Native American tribes who had long inhabited the lands. King was commissioned to create the map by President Thomas Jefferson and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, who were planning and funding an expedition to chart the recently purchased Louisiana Territory. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were appointed to lead this “The Corps of Discovery”, and brought King’s map along to aid in their exploration. While traveling, Lewis used brown ink to annotate the map with information he gained from fur traders.