Lewis and Clark Supplies: Goals of the Expedition
The choice of supplies for the great journey west was carefully considered by Meriwether Lewis, who started to prepare for the journey during the spring of 1803. President Thomas Jefferson had stated the main goals of the expedition and the supplies had to be chosen to help the explorers achieve the goals. The major objectives were:

To follow the Missouri River to it’s source and discover it’s tributaries
To create maps of the new territory gained in the Louisiana Purchase
To find a water route, 'Northwest Passage' to the Pacific Ocean
To undertake scientific tasks, documenting descriptions of newly discovered animals and plants
To learn about the climate, soil, and terrain of the new lands
To learn about the customs and culture of the Native American Indians

Lewis and Clark Supplies: Preparations
The preparations for the journey required Meriwether Lewis to learn as much as he could about astronomy, navigation and cartography (map making) and the scientific instruments that would help in this task. As the identification of new plants and animals was important he also learnt about botany and biology and ensure there were adequate supplies of writing materials. The welfare of the men was of prime importance so supplies regarding their comfort in respect of clothing, shelter, food and medicines had to be carefully considered. Their safety in the unknown, unmapped lands was also important so the choice and supplies of weapons was also of prime importance to the expedition. Finally Lewis had to consider supplies that would help him establish relations with the Native American Indian tribes the expedition might encounter on the journey.

List of Lewis and Clark Supplies: A Crucial Task
The following list of Lewis and Clark supplies give a 'flavor' of the provisions that were taken on the historic journey. Not only did Meriwether Lewis have to prepare a list of supplies he also had to consider the quantities of items, storage space on the keelboat and ease of transporting the items. Creating the list of supplies was a massive task and crucial to the success of the expedition.

List of Lewis and Clark Supplies
The list of Lewis and Clark supplies are categorized as follows

Food, Shelter, Tools and Camping Supplies
Clothing Supplies
Medical Supplies
Weapons and Arms
Scientific and Mathematical Instruments
Maps, Reference Books and Writing Materials
Gifts for Native American Indians

List of Lewis and Clark Supplies: Food, Shelter, Tools and Camping Supplies
10.5 Pounds (5 kilograms) of fishing hooks and fishing lines
12 Pounds (5.4 kilograms) of soap
193 Pounds (87.5 kilograms) of "portable soup" (a thick paste made by boiling down beef, eggs, and vegetables, to be used if no other food was available on the journey)
2 Dozen tablespoons
25 Hatchets
3 Bushels (106 liters) of salt
30 Steels for striking or making fire
6 Large needles
Chisels
Handsaws
Iron corn mill
Mosquito curtains
Oilskin bags
Pliers
Whetstones
150 Yards (140 meters) of cloth to be oiled and sewn into tents and sheets

List of Lewis and Clark Supplies: Clothing Supplies
15 Blankets
15 Frocks (Work Garments)
15 Pairs wool overalls
20 Coats
30 Stockings
Knapsacks
Shoes
Woolen pants
45 Flannel shirts