This paper explains that the key point of the
journals of Lewis and Clark was, in 1803, when President Thomas Jefferson sent
his secretary Meriwether Lewis and Lewis' friend William Clark on a mission to explore the uncharted West; Jefferson called the group the Corps of Discovery. The author points out that DeVoto considers these
journals as a "national literary treasure", which detail the interior of the American West. The paper relates that the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis with comprehensive maps of their route and the surrounding regions,
specimens and descriptions of the plants, animal life and potential mineral resources and a wealth of information about the native peoples of the West. Table of Contents Introduction Evaluation of Key Points Did the Authors Achieve Their Objectives? Primary and Secondary Sources Personal Assessment Relevance Today