The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Hunting, Gathering, Sustenance

After the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson delegated a group of explorers to go on a fact-finding mission of the newly-acquired 828,000 square miles of uncharted wilderness. Famously led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the Corps of Discovery set out on May 14, 1804. Their goal was to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean, establish positive relations with Native American tribes and gather scientific information about the region's geography, flora, and fauna.

While the expedition faced countless challenges over the course of its nearly two-and-a-half-year journey, keeping the crew of 45 members fed was an enormous task.

Before embarking, Lewis and Clark stocked a 55-foot keelboat with seven tons of provisions. According to Clark’s journal, their food storage included hulled corn, cornmeal, flour, hardtack biscuits, lard, salt, beans, peas, coffee, sugar and whiskey. They also packed 193 pounds of portable soup, a dehydrated and concentrated meat broth that could be reconstituted with water, according to living history expert Jon Townshend.

However, unable to carry enough provisions to sustain themselves for the entire quest, the explorers knew they would have to find additional sustenance along the way.

Hunting and Gathering

The journey was physically demanding, requiring men to pole and pull a loaded keelboat against the current of the Missouri River. Meat was vital to meeting their daily caloric needs, and when wild game was plentiful, each man consumed up to nine pounds of meat per day.

On July 13, 1805, Clark wrote in his journal: "We eat an emensity [sic] of meat; it requires 4 deer, or an elk and a deer, or one buffaloe [sic] to supply us plentifully 24 hours."

Bison and deer were prominent during the crossing of the Great Plains, and the Missouri River and its tributaries provided a steady source of fish. They also killed grizzly bears for food, especially while traveling through present-day Dakotas and Montana. At Fort Clatsop in present-day Oregon, where the Corps of Discovery wintered from December 1805 to March 1806, elk was plentiful, and it was served boiled, dried and roasted for breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to food writer Tori Avey at PBS. When large game was scarce, the explorers took advantage of small game.

Lewis, who was considered a skilled botanist, aided the men in supplementing their diets with wild berries, nuts, roots and greens, providing the men with essential vitamins and nutrients that a diet of meat and hardtack alone could not provide.

Native American Assistance

The expedition frequently interacted with Native American tribes, as many as 50, according to the Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance. Tribes such as the Shawnee along the Ohio River, Mandan in present-day North Dakota, and Shoshone near the Lemhi River in present-day Idaho supplied the explorers with corn, beans, squash, dried meat and even horses for travel.

The Otoe-Missouri Nation were hunter-gatherers living in the areas of present-day Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, and they first encountered Lewis and Clark during an annual bison hunt. It was with the Otoe-Missouri that the first council between Native Americans and the expedition took place in August 1804.

An aquatic, potato-like tuber called wapato (Sagittaria latifolia), also known as “duck potato” or “Indian potato,” was a regular menu item at Fort Clatsop, obtained by trading with the Indigenous people who gathered the root in great quantities in the Columbia and Willamette River basins. The tuber was a welcome addition to a dish called “pore elk,” made of boiled elk and wapato, wrote Barbara Fifer at Discover Lewis & Clark.

Desperate Times

Despite their efforts, the expedition experienced periods of hunger and food shortages. In desperate times, they resorted to eating dog meat and spoiled provisions.

“In the dry areas of what is now eastern Washington … where there was little if any game and the only other choice was dried salmon, usually impregnated with sand, the men came to prefer dog,” wrote Anthony Brandt of National Geographic. “Only William Clark abstained. He couldn't bring himself to eat dog meat.”

The Corps spent considerable time with the Nez Perce, a nomadic people whose historical homeland encompasses 17 million acres between what is now Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana. They traveled to follow the bison migration in the Great Plains and the salmon run at Celilo Falls in Oregon. The Nez Perce saved the expedition from starvation in September 1805 when supplies ran low near the Bitterroot Mountains in present-day Montana.

“Recognizing the desperate state of the travelers, the Nez Perce offered food: berries, dried buffalo and salmon, and a bread prepared from camas root—all staples of the Nez Perce diet,” according to the National Park Service.

On Sept. 23, 1806, the Corps of Discovery reached St. Louis, Missouri, and received a hero’s welcome. Their return was widely celebrated as they were believed to be dead. The men had been gone two years, four months and 10 days and had traveled nearly 8,000 miles. It was their resilience and ability to adapt to changing food sources that allowed the explorers to complete their mission successfully.

However, it would be remiss to minimize the role that Native Americans played in the Corps’ survival, especially during the winter months when hunting and foraging became more difficult. Sadly, the friendliness forged between Lewis and Clark and the Indigenous tribes proved hollow as relations between the U.S. government and Indian nations soured in the subsequent decades. Spurred by the success of the expedition, there would be no stopping the United States’ expansion to the Pacific.

The Forgotten Survival Food: Portable Soup

“[Portable soup] was hardly a favorite meal, but it saved the men from starvation on more than one occasion,” wrote Tori Avey at PBS.

Making historically-accurate portable soup, also known as pocket soup or veal glue, involves boiling meat and bones, removing the fat, straining the broth, reducing the broth to a gelatinous consistency and then further drying the jelly until it is rock hard—the process takes days. The dried portable soup is stored as small pieces in tins, to be added to hot water to make a rich meat broth. For those interested in trying their hand at making portable soup, look to the Townsends Living History episode “The Forgotten Survival Food - Portable Soup” on YouTube. Thankfully, the availability of modern bouillon provides a convenient substitute.

When camping, use bouillon cubes to flavor beans, lentils, couscous or rice. In powder form, use it as a rub to season meats and vegetables. A hot cup of savory meat broth in the morning or evening can also lift the spirits if you’re feeling tired, cold and wet. If you’re knowledgeable about edible plants, throw in some wild greens to give yourself a boost of Vitamin C.

While most store-bought bouillon can offer flavor and sodium, they don’t provide much in the way of nutrition. I’ve recently found instant bone broth from Bare Bones that provides 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of collagen and 50 calories per packet—the powder is packaged in single-serving sleeves that are “pocket” size, lightweight and shelf stable. Although it’s a bit pricy at first glance, the convenience and nutritional value is well worth packing on your next backcountry adventure.

"Portable” Potato Soup

This modern “portable” soup is made with protein-rich Bare Bones broth powder and potato flakes, another backpacking staple. In the fall, winter and early spring, when vegetation is scarce, look for edible aquatic greens such as watercress (Nasturtium officinale) near springs and creeks where you know the water is clean. The leaves can be peppery or bitter, so add to taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of Bare Bones bone broth powder
• 3 tbsp. potato flakes, or to taste
• Finely chopped wild greens, if available
• 1 cup of boiled water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place bone broth powder and chopped greens in a bowl or mug. Add boiled water. Thicken with desired amount of potato flakes, and season to taste.

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