Lewis Arrives in Pittsburgh July 15, 1803

Photo:  Replica Keelboat, Lewis and Clark State Park, Iowa. NPS.

On Friday, July 15, 1803, Meriwether Lewis arrived in Pittsburgh intending to stay just a few days before beginning his journey down the Ohio River. It wasn’t to be. Instead he waited six long, frustrating weeks.

His special-ordered keelboat wasn’t ready and wouldn’t be until nearly the end of August. Forced to wait, Lewis anxiously planned his departure, rechecking inventory and repacking wagonloads of supplies that arrived from Harpers Ferry and Philadelphia. When the third and final wagon arrived from Harpers Ferry on July 22, Lewis began recruiting the first 11 volunteers for the early stages of the Expedition. Eleven men, Lewis reasoned, were enough to navigate the vessels and supplies downriver to Clarksville, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky where he would join up with William Clark and the volunteers he recruited.

As the weeks passed, Lewis could only watch as an extended drought dropped the river to a record low level. If the river continued to drop, there would not be enough water to navigate the fully loaded keelboat. To spread out the weight of the supplies, Lewis purchased one or two pirogues. . Lewis then reduced the weight even more by packing some supplies in a wagon headed for Wheeling, West Virginia, further downstream on the Ohio River.