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Beyond Lewis and Clark - Timeline 1853-1854

The Army Explores the West

Isaac Stevens.  Image courtesy of Washington State 
Historical Society.

Pacific Railroad Survey

Isaac Stevens was chosen to lead the military survey crew mapping a route for a transcontinental railroad in 1853. A graduate of West Point, Stevens distinguished himself as an explorer as well as a politician. Governor of Washington Territory, Stevens was a military engineer placed in charge of surveying the northernmost route between the 47th and 49th parallels (latitude).

 

Stevens expedition, 1853.

 

Beyond Lewis and Clark is an online exhibit developed by the Kansas Museum of History. It is the result of a partnership between the Kansas Historical Society, the Virginia and Washington State historical societies, the U. S. Army's Frontier Army Museum at Leavenworth, and the U. S. Army Center of Military History.

Contact us at kshs.kansasmuseum@ks.gov