The Newfoundland and the New Frontier: Seaman’s Tale

Captain Meriwether Lewis

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1803 On this verdant day, the United States, a fledgling nation, expanded its borders significantly when Napoleon ceded the vast Louisiana Territory to the Americans for a mere pittance. A botanist’s…

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Meriwether’s Mistake: The Serendipitous Discovery of Snowberry

Meriwether Lewis

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 13, 1805 My darling garden companions, gather ’round as I regale you with the most enchanting tale of botanical discovery! On this day in 1805, our intrepid explorer Meriwether Lewis stumbled upon…

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Seeds of Discovery: Jefferson’s Botanical Expedition Request to Lewis

Meriwether Lewis

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 20, 1803 On this day, President Thomas Jefferson, with a flourish of his quill and ambition stretching beyond the Mississippi, sent a formal letter to his private secretary and aide, Meriwether Lewis—a…

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Botanical Chronicles: Meriwether Lewis Names the Narrow-Leaf Cottonwood

Meriwether Lewis

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 12, 1805 On this day, in 1805, the intrepid explorer Meriwether Lewis stood just one day’s journey from discovering the Great Falls of Missouri, blissfully unaware of the natural wonder awaiting his…

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