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William Clark and the Shaping of the West
Between 1803 and 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark co-captained the most famous expedition in American history. But while Lewis ended his life just three years later, Clark, as the highest-ranking federal official in the West, spent three decades overseeing its Indian removal and the destruction of Native America. In a rare combination of storytelling and scholarship, bestselling author Landon Y. Jones vividly depicts Clark's life and the dark and bloody ground of America's early West, capturing the qualities of character and courage that made Clark an unequaled leader in America's grander the shaping of the West.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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August 6, 2021
My fascination with the personalities involved in the Lewis & Clark Expedition continue with this biography of the man who became known as "the Red-headed Chief."
As in the present, it is so easy to be caught up in the dilemma of right and wrong. When it comes to history we forget "context" to the point that we try and place our modern so-called righteousness into our historical past. William Clark is one of those historical figures on whom we place our stamp of indignation on because of his views on slavery and the relationships with our Native peoples.
His work and dedication to the 1803-1806 expedition and his friend, Meriwether Lewis would have been enough for any man to base his legacy on. But Clark went to deal with some of the most troubled times in our early history, navigating the issues of a growing, expanding republic. Though sympathetic in many ways to the plight of Native Americans he still was a 19th Century man who had grown up on the frontier and retained many of the views of his fellow frontiersmen & women. It was a difficult path to travel serving as "the highest ranking Federal official in the West." The same can be said of his views on slavery, he was a slave owner. The relationship with York, the servant/slave who accompanied Clark on the expedition, is touched upon briefly. It seems that the relationship soured after returning from the Pacific. If York expected his freedom he was severely disappointed. Clark sent him away to work for others ("surliness") though eventually setting him up in a business of his own.
William Clark, it must also be remembered, was the bulwark of the expedition West especially at those times when Lewis wa incapacitated by what today we'd call depression or bipolar disease. It was Clark who also saw to it that the journals were finally published, something that Lewis had failed to follow through on before his death by suicide. Clark's maps were the forerunners of all that followed. Brother of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark and a devoted family man.
Quite the story. The author navigates it well.
As in the present, it is so easy to be caught up in the dilemma of right and wrong. When it comes to history we forget "context" to the point that we try and place our modern so-called righteousness into our historical past. William Clark is one of those historical figures on whom we place our stamp of indignation on because of his views on slavery and the relationships with our Native peoples.
His work and dedication to the 1803-1806 expedition and his friend, Meriwether Lewis would have been enough for any man to base his legacy on. But Clark went to deal with some of the most troubled times in our early history, navigating the issues of a growing, expanding republic. Though sympathetic in many ways to the plight of Native Americans he still was a 19th Century man who had grown up on the frontier and retained many of the views of his fellow frontiersmen & women. It was a difficult path to travel serving as "the highest ranking Federal official in the West." The same can be said of his views on slavery, he was a slave owner. The relationship with York, the servant/slave who accompanied Clark on the expedition, is touched upon briefly. It seems that the relationship soured after returning from the Pacific. If York expected his freedom he was severely disappointed. Clark sent him away to work for others ("surliness") though eventually setting him up in a business of his own.
William Clark, it must also be remembered, was the bulwark of the expedition West especially at those times when Lewis wa incapacitated by what today we'd call depression or bipolar disease. It was Clark who also saw to it that the journals were finally published, something that Lewis had failed to follow through on before his death by suicide. Clark's maps were the forerunners of all that followed. Brother of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark and a devoted family man.
Quite the story. The author navigates it well.
October 18, 2014
Back in my sophomore year in high school I wrote a paper in Geography class on the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (it was the same year that Will Clark made his MLB debut – I’ll let you do the math). While I had always been interested in geography, the research involved in creating that paper pushed me towards the crazy point – I actually spent several weeks working my way through my Rand McNally atlas charting the drainage area of the Mississippi River.
But until the last couple of weeks, I hadn’t realized the extent to which Clark was involved in the opening of the West – after all, he is the second name of the duo, which infers that he was something of a John Oates to Lewis’ Daryl Hall. Well, there are a few problems with that analogy, starting with the fact that Clark outlived Lewis by 28 years.
This book does an excellent job outlining the case for Clark being one of the most influential men in US History, and I’m glad that the author wasn’t an apologist (even though it’s clear that he’s a Clark fan). It also does a good job in keeping events of the time in perspective. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a page-turner, however, which is the requirement for a fifth star. Still, this is one of the better reads for understanding US History from the early 19th century.
But until the last couple of weeks, I hadn’t realized the extent to which Clark was involved in the opening of the West – after all, he is the second name of the duo, which infers that he was something of a John Oates to Lewis’ Daryl Hall. Well, there are a few problems with that analogy, starting with the fact that Clark outlived Lewis by 28 years.
This book does an excellent job outlining the case for Clark being one of the most influential men in US History, and I’m glad that the author wasn’t an apologist (even though it’s clear that he’s a Clark fan). It also does a good job in keeping events of the time in perspective. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a page-turner, however, which is the requirement for a fifth star. Still, this is one of the better reads for understanding US History from the early 19th century.
April 28, 2009
Merriwether Lewis usually gets most of the attention from casual readers of the Lewis and Clark saga. But William Clark arguably has the personal story that gives more insight into the American frontier. From his Virginia settler roots, Clark's life became an archetype of the early American soldier/explorer. It's not all pretty. The often over-promoted "good relations" the Lewis and Clark expedition had with American Indian tribes it encountered is neatly balanced here with Clark's actual history as an Indian fighter from a long line of Indian fighters. The book is good scholarship presented in an accessible way to any reader with more than a casual interest in Lewis and Clark or the history of the American frontier.
July 5, 2015
Jones provides a very well researched and well written account of William Clark's life as well as decades of relations with the American Indian. His account is one of the better history books I've ever read, very easy to read and very straightforward. It was a very engaging and detailed read, that has personally broadened my view of the American frontier, Clark's life, and the relationship with the American Indian. I recommend to anyone who is interesting in expanding their view of this period of time.
August 29, 2021
I picked this book up after finishing Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage, which I had felt was more of a biography of Meriwether Lewis than a full picture of the "and Clark" part of the Voyage of Discovery.
Jones picks up the ball and runs with it, tracing Clark's life from his early military service in the subjugation of the great tribes north of the Ohio River, through the Voyage of Discovery, and on to his long term in public service as the government agent for Indians west of the Mississippi and the territorial governor of Missouri, a role he assumed after Meriwether Lewis's suicide in 1807 and carried until statehood.
Jones is balanced in his portrait of Clark. The better side of the portrait that comes through in this book is of a "good man," who was unfailingly loyal to his family--almost as impressive as his Voyage of Discovery journey was his circumnavigation of the Amerian Southeast (down the Ohio and Mississippi by flatboat, a ship's journey from New Orleans to New York and Washington, then a return to the Ohio Country) on behalf of his drunken, bankrupt brother, George Rogers Clark. He was a candidate for Missouri's first elected governor, but he spent most of the year before the election caring for his sick wife, Judith, and lost.
But Clark's loyalty to the United States and his "good soldier" demeanor cannot compensate for his utter lack of integrity towards Native Americans. He personally went back on every promise he had made to tribes, as they moved, settled, and then were asked to move again.
I think of the Osage, the strongest tribe west of the Mississippi, who over the 30 years after they met Clark were reduced to a few villages along the border of Kansas and Oklahoma. Or the Shawnee, resettled from the Ohio Valley and farming in civilized towns in southeastern Missouri, who were uprooted once again for Indian territory. Clark built a huge Treaty House on his lot in St. Louis in which he met with visiting Indians. Jones details the artifice of his negotiations and treaty-making. Yet it ultimately became a museum of artifacts--given by natives in acts of friendship, that became in Clark's hands mementos of their demise.
So who was Clark? A good Anglo, but in 21st-century terms, probably not a great American.
Jones picks up the ball and runs with it, tracing Clark's life from his early military service in the subjugation of the great tribes north of the Ohio River, through the Voyage of Discovery, and on to his long term in public service as the government agent for Indians west of the Mississippi and the territorial governor of Missouri, a role he assumed after Meriwether Lewis's suicide in 1807 and carried until statehood.
Jones is balanced in his portrait of Clark. The better side of the portrait that comes through in this book is of a "good man," who was unfailingly loyal to his family--almost as impressive as his Voyage of Discovery journey was his circumnavigation of the Amerian Southeast (down the Ohio and Mississippi by flatboat, a ship's journey from New Orleans to New York and Washington, then a return to the Ohio Country) on behalf of his drunken, bankrupt brother, George Rogers Clark. He was a candidate for Missouri's first elected governor, but he spent most of the year before the election caring for his sick wife, Judith, and lost.
But Clark's loyalty to the United States and his "good soldier" demeanor cannot compensate for his utter lack of integrity towards Native Americans. He personally went back on every promise he had made to tribes, as they moved, settled, and then were asked to move again.
I think of the Osage, the strongest tribe west of the Mississippi, who over the 30 years after they met Clark were reduced to a few villages along the border of Kansas and Oklahoma. Or the Shawnee, resettled from the Ohio Valley and farming in civilized towns in southeastern Missouri, who were uprooted once again for Indian territory. Clark built a huge Treaty House on his lot in St. Louis in which he met with visiting Indians. Jones details the artifice of his negotiations and treaty-making. Yet it ultimately became a museum of artifacts--given by natives in acts of friendship, that became in Clark's hands mementos of their demise.
So who was Clark? A good Anglo, but in 21st-century terms, probably not a great American.
December 9, 2018
My brother and I recently spent a few days in the gorgeous Black Hills of South Dakota, and it piqued our interest in the period in U.S. history when Indians (as they are typically called out there and throughout the book) were stripped of their lands and otherwise disenfranchised by the white expansion westward. William Clark was the Clark of Lewis and Clark, and this is his personal history. It's a history inextricably entwined with the tragic story of our Indians, as he governed, at various times later in life, the massive territory of Missouri but, more importantly, different bureaus of Indian Affairs of our fledgling federal government. It does not cover Lewis and Clark's well-known exploration for then-president Thomas Jefferson in detail, but rather focuses on Clark's personal and professional life in these other endeavors.
This short but powerful paragraph sums up his accomplishments in these other roles: "In the span of his public life, Clark had been a primary architect of what is now called ethnic cleansing. He personally signed thirty-seven separate treaties with Indian nations, more than anyone in American history. He helped the United States extinguish Indian titles to 419 million acres of land. A total of 81,282 Indians was moved from the Eastern United States to the lands west of the Mississippi; thousands more were moved out of Missouri, further west."
William Clark was a man of many contradictions. Despite the program of disenfranchisement he executed, he was a moderating influence against others who were far more more ruthless, and he continuously "displayed conspicuous compassion toward the Indians." The staggering challenges he faced in his various capacities make what most of us face in our lives pale in comparison. While this book is comprehensively detailed, it is very readable for those who don't often read histories (like me). Highly recommended.
This short but powerful paragraph sums up his accomplishments in these other roles: "In the span of his public life, Clark had been a primary architect of what is now called ethnic cleansing. He personally signed thirty-seven separate treaties with Indian nations, more than anyone in American history. He helped the United States extinguish Indian titles to 419 million acres of land. A total of 81,282 Indians was moved from the Eastern United States to the lands west of the Mississippi; thousands more were moved out of Missouri, further west."
William Clark was a man of many contradictions. Despite the program of disenfranchisement he executed, he was a moderating influence against others who were far more more ruthless, and he continuously "displayed conspicuous compassion toward the Indians." The staggering challenges he faced in his various capacities make what most of us face in our lives pale in comparison. While this book is comprehensively detailed, it is very readable for those who don't often read histories (like me). Highly recommended.
September 11, 2019
This was an exceptional and riveting book, which introduced the backdrop of William Clark’s life through the exploits of his older brother George Rogers Clark. While I am fairly well versed in the history of the West, I feel more ignorant of American history east of the Missouri River. In particular, Landon Jones details the many acts of Indian removal to systematically displace Native Americans from eastern states, sending them West of the Missouri. Jones shows how William Clark the Clark family were deeply involved in Indian removal, even when William was otherwise friendly to the natives. The book lays out the facts without judgement right up to the very end where Jones simply points out that in today’s world, William Clark’s actions would be considered ethnic cleansing. It’s a gut-wrenching read, but an essential one to better understand American history and the dark side of some of our greatest heroes.
January 3, 2023
I bought this book as research for a biography of my mother, who was a descendant of William Clark's fascinating sister Fanny. Little did I know how riveting and dramatic the entire story and period of history would be. He was a flawed figure. His treatment of his enslaved person "York" is hard to understand,
largely because in his nature, Clark was an expansive and generous man, and a visionary. One can only wonder what he might have thought of his deeds regarding York and various Indian tribes, as he neared the end of his life. Though I haven’t finished the book it is wonderful to see this period brought to life. I feel as though I'm there.
largely because in his nature, Clark was an expansive and generous man, and a visionary. One can only wonder what he might have thought of his deeds regarding York and various Indian tribes, as he neared the end of his life. Though I haven’t finished the book it is wonderful to see this period brought to life. I feel as though I'm there.
May 7, 2017
I didn't read this whole book, just the parts that focused on the 1810s and into the 1820s, so about 150 pages or so.
Jones does a great job talking about Clark and what he was doing during the War of 1812 and after. You get information on the fur trading glut that came up around the Panic of 1819. I think this is a good book because we often just think of Clark during the years 1803-6 and he did a heck of a lot more.
Jones does a great job talking about Clark and what he was doing during the War of 1812 and after. You get information on the fur trading glut that came up around the Panic of 1819. I think this is a good book because we often just think of Clark during the years 1803-6 and he did a heck of a lot more.
September 9, 2018
There are a lot of details in this book. It's mostly about Clarks life after the Voyage of Discovery. I was struck by how slowly things moved compared to now. Clark would travel from St. Louis to Washington to meet with government officials and the round trip would last a month. The events covered here would have been recent history for the people who founded my town. The past seems a little closer than it did.
August 15, 2020
The subject was very interesting and I learned a lot about half of the legendary Lewis and Clark pair. The book was thoroughly researched but the constant use of direct quotes made this book extremely difficult to read. The book seemed to jump all around and mentioned name after name of people and Indian tribes without expanding the details. It just seemed choppy and made it very hard for me to finish. This book should have been 200 more pages with more details and organization.
January 28, 2023
A thorough look at Clark, a man I had only connected with the Lewis and Clark expedition before reading this book. He is shown to be a capable yet complex and controversial figure. Much of the book focuses on his work as a governor and superintendent of Indian affairs, ultimately suggesting that the country (and certainly the original inhabitants of it) may well have been better off if L & C had never made their Western trek in the first place.
May 8, 2018
An excellent biography of William Clark's life as the less famous partner of Meriweather Lewis as well as a very detailed history of the resettlement of all of the eastern tribes of Native Americans to the west side of the Mississippi.....most of which occurred during Clark's tenure as the head of US Indian Affairs.
October 17, 2023
The invading, British, European tidal wave of humanity swept Native Americans and wildlife before it, to pave the way for "enlightened" civilization.
December 23, 2015
A high-quality history of William Clark, a man who played a major role in the expansion of the American West beyond the Lewis & Clark Expedition. I learned quite a bit about Clark in this book; where he came from and what he accomplished. I was also fascinated about how he was connected to so many influential people in America, from Thomas Jefferson, to Robert E. Lee, to Washington Irving, and this was before even the telegraph! My only real complaint was that the Lewis & Clark Expedition was only a small part of the book, but seeing everything Clark did after the expedition, as Governor of Missouri, and for his part in American/Native American relations, I can understand why. Recommended to anyone interested in American history.
February 22, 2013
A thorough and overdue biography of William Clark that pulls the curtain back and sheds important light on this important American hero. Not being upstaged by his more popular cohort and friend, Meriwether Lewis, Clark is given the full treatment starting with the introduction of his older and famous brother, George Rogers Clark before having his entire life, little by little, detailed in this easy to read and enjoyable biography. This is a welcome addition to any history fan's collection and deserves praise for shining the spotlight on this lesser known, larger than life figure in American history.
July 25, 2014
A very interesting Biography of Clark. I didn't know much about him except for the Voyage of Discovery that I read about in Undaunted Courage. There certainly were a few times I was grimacing reading about how some were killed, both the Indians and the Settlers. There were some gruesome times.
June 14, 2016
Insightful and thought provoking. William Clark was a man of contradictions and thus writing a biography on him is challenging. Some of the side stories were unnecessary and not that interesting. 3 1/2 stars.
December 19, 2009
Task 30.8
June 21, 2012
So much has been written about the expedition itself. I was fascinated by this account of what happened in the aftermath of it all.
May 10, 2013
Found the history fascinating. I learned a lot about a period of time in US history I did not know much about (1813 to about 1840). Clark was an amazing man.
June 9, 2016
Very interesting, very detailed. He was a good man caught in the Indian problems of the
expanding West, and did the best he could. I certainly admire him.
Joyce Derlacki
expanding West, and did the best he could. I certainly admire him.
Joyce Derlacki
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