Writing Spaces

Lewis and Clark, writing the story of the West—

image:  Copyprint of manuscript maps, courtesy of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven

This pair of maps is from a collection of manuscript field maps drafted by William Clark as the Corps descended the Columbia River and wintered on the Pacific Coast at Fort Clatsop. On the left, Clark drew a rough sketch of the mouth of the Columbia River, oriented with south at the top of the sheet. The other is one of the cruder examples of a map derived from Indian information, with Clark noting "This was given by a Clott Sopp Indn." It shows a small portion of the Pacific Coast and locates several tribes and villages.