very were honored with parties, ceremonies, and balls. Captain Meriwether Lewis led an unsuccessful life after the expedition. Nevermarrying, Lewis entered into politics as the governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory;however, politics did not suit Lewis well. Lewis died of a gunshot wound in Tennessee. It is believed that he committed suicide. Captain William Clark became the militia leader of the Upper Louisiana Territory andthe superintendent of Indian affairs in St. Louis before marrying Julia Hancock. Clarkhad four sons with Julia and when Julia died he married Harriet Kennerly and had twomore sons. In 1838 at the age of sixty-eight Clark died of natural causes. The effects of the expedition were not evident right away but were great. The maps,drawings, and journals brought back by the Corps took some of the fear away fromsettlers wanting to move into the territory. The fur trade in the west was also expandedgreatly by the expedition. The United States’ claim to the Oregon Country becamestronger then Britain’s by virtue of their exploration and presence in the territory. The expedition could not have survived without the Indians. Despite this fact, however,the expedition hurt the Indians. The door was opened for American settlers to move intothe territory and to try to force the Indians out of the territory. The west will forever be linked with Lewis and Clark, the two men who opened itsdoors. With undaunted courage and patriotic spirit these explorers survived an arduousjourney through the uncharted lands of the Louisiana Territory and placed themselvesamong the greatest explorers of all time....
