The Lewis & Clark Expedition

A Pittsburgh Perspective

Although there are known to be many Web sites about the national event that is the Lewis and Clark Expedition, as well as its bicentennial commemoration in 2003-2006, the scope of this Pittsburgh Legacy Web site is believed to be unique.

First of all, the design and content of the Web site are meant to serve clients of two important 21^st century organizations in Western Pennsylvania. One is the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, which serves the general public by expressing historical content that relates to our region. The other is the Pittsburgh Regional Center for Science Teachers (PRCST), an educational outreach of the University of Pittsburgh. It serves to advance K-12 teaching of science in our region through event- and inquiry-based learning.

Secondly, the site has been fashioned in the spirit of the Expedition itself. It is one thing to go forward on an ordinary expedition, such as trappers did 200 years ago, in quest of animal furs and profit. It is another to go forward on a Lewis and Clark Expedition in the spirit of Scientific Enterprise: (1) with full use of knowledge of the time, (2) using the powers of practiced observation, and (3) with reliable documentation to extend that knowledge. Similarly, it is one thing to author the more usual Web site, typically with unreferenced information and a limited sense of historical depth. It is another to apply the Scientific Enterprise to the Web site, with contextual history, just as was done for the Expedition itself. We have tried to accomplish that, and here are some of the specific features that you will find as you navigate the Pittsburgh Legacy Web site.

o History with Pittsburgh at the focal point
o Broad science and technology focus
o A well rounded learning experience overall
o Extensive book and secondary Web site referencing, including paths to material in other museums
o Tracking of events and science back and forward in time, with 1803-06 as the reference mark
o Inquiry-based learning tasks

We do hope that you enjoy the site, and we welcome your feedback.

If you wish to scan the whole timeline of the Expedition before
experiencing the Pittsburgh perspective, please stop off at
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/archive/idx_time.html,
then close the window to return here.

Charles B. Greenberg, Ph.D.
Product Manager/Principal Author

Please click HERE to continue your journey!