Divided Loyalties in a Doomed Empire

Book excerpt: The genealogy of the French-speaking members of the Lewis and Clark expedition can often be traced back to the times where the fleur-de-lys was flying over New France. The terra incognita was explored to gratify Louis XIV's lust for the brown gold of the fur trade. By the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the French were well integrated into the North American population. These men were instrumental in the success of the Corps of Discovery. Observers from the Montreal North West Company spied on the expedition for fear of American encroachments. New Spain sent in vain a French adventurer to capture Meriwether Lewis. The legend of the West has both French and American heroes in common among the coureurs de bois (white Indians) and mountain men.