Be the Spark!

contribute now
Oregon

Who Killed Meriwether Lewis?

OPB | July 08, 2009 11 p.m. | Updated: July 17, 2012 1:10 a.m. | Portland, OR

Contributed By:


By Geoff Norcross

One of the great mysteries of the Lewis and Clark expedition is how Meriwether Lewis met his end nearly 200 years ago. 

Did he shoot himself, as is generally believed?  Or was he assassinated? 

Lewis’s descendents want to know for sure, so they’re asking the National Park Service for permission to exhume and examine his body. 

Lewis is buried in the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee. 

For some reaction from the Northwest, we called David Nicandri.  He’s the Director of the Washington State Historical Society.  He says the idea of Lewis committing suicide is – for many – at odds with the man’s image.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus
Thanks to our Sponsors:
become a sponsor
Thanks to our Sponsors
become a sponsor
Web Analytics