Meriwether Lewis' Wonder Dog

August 15, 2009

Chip Cartwright has prepared a program based on his research into the Lewis & Clark Corps of discovery from 1804 to 1806. For some unknown reason, Lewis had purchased a Newfoundland puppy for $20 (Newfies would cost over $1,000 today) and decided to bring the dog along on this 2.5 year expedition.

The photo shows a larger-than-life sculpture of the dog which is located at Ft. Mandan, near Washburn ND. Newfoundland dogs are large enough, up to 29 inches high and 150 lbs. in weight. They have been described as the “most majestic of the canine varieties.”

The name of Lewis’ dog has long been a source of confusion. The journals of the Lewis & Clark party are filled with misspellings and poor pensmanship. For over 180 years the dog’s name was thought to be “Scannon.” Finally, in 1987, the dog’s name was proven to be “Seaman.” One thing that has been known for a long time was the fact that Seaman was born in 1802 which means he was two years old when he started out with Lewis & Clark.

Seaman was more than a pet; he proved to be a good hunter on the expedition. Chip took us through a number of journal references which described what Seaman had hunted for the party. On different occasions, he caught squirrel, deer, antelope, beaver and geese, which the men enjoyed for dinner. Incredible as that sounds, it was the method Seaman used that seemed to be effective.

Seaman caught his prey in the Missouri River. In those days the game was sighted swimming in the Missouri River, even squirrels which we do not think of as amphibious types. Seaman was encouraged to jump into the water after the sighted prey. He would drown the game and bring it back to the boat, where the men fished it out of the water.

There was some danger involved. One time a beaver bit Seaman and punctured an artery, causing severe bleeding. There was great concern over Seaman’s ability to pull through. The journals recount other occasions when Seaman encountered a grizzly bear, but he never did more than bark a lot. There was one time that Seaman took off and stayed overnight. Another time Seaman was stolen or lured away with food by Native Americans. Lewis sent a party out to get the dog back.

The last journal of July 15, 1806, stated, “Nobody knows what happened to the dog.”

However, it is an accepted historical fact that Seaman finished the trip, but what finally happened to Seaman is not so clear. In 1814 a dog collar identifying the wearer as Lewis’ dog was found in a museum in Alexandria VA. Another curious fact is that large dog bones were found on top of Meriwether Lewis’ grave where he was buried on the Natchez Trace south of Nashville TN in 1809. It is believed that Seaman was with his master when he died and that Seaman also died of grief on top of his master’s grave.