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Partial
list of expedition supplies
Modern-day
campers preparing for an extended trip into the wilderness
would probably provision themselves with tasty light-weight,
long-lasting freeze-dried entrees, which they would
prepare on a powerful and reliable gas-fired stove.
They'd stay comfortable in rain, snow or crushing heat
by relying on the latest tents, sleeping bags and clothing
made from versatile, durable and sophisticated synthetic
materials. The most well-equipped would also carry accurate
maps, emergency first-aid supplies, wind-proof lighters,
water purifiers and perhaps a hand-held global positioning
satellite receiver to pinpoint their location at all
times.
To provision a group of 40 or so men for a two-year
camping trip in the uncharted wilderness of 1804
North America was, however, a slightly more challenging
task.
Here's a partial list of supplies the Corps of
Discovery packed:
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·
Surveyor's compass
· Hand compass
· Quadrants
· Telescope
· Thermometers
· Sextants
· Set of plotting instruments
· Chronometer
· 150 yards of cloth to be oiled and sewn
into tents and sheets
· Pliers
· Chisels
· 30 steels for striking to make fire
· Handsaws
· Hatchets
· Whetstones
· Iron corn mill
· Two dozen tablespoons
· Mosquito curtains
· 10 1/2 pounds of fishing hooks and fishing
lines
· 12 pounds of soap
· 193 pounds of "portable soup"
· Three bushels of salt
· Writing paper, ink and crayons
· 12 dozen pocket mirrors
· 4,600 sewing needles
· 44 small scissors
· 10 pounds of sewing thread
· Silk ribbons
· Ivory combs
· Handkerchiefs
· Yards of bright-colored cloth
· 130 rolls of tobacco
· Tomahawks that doubled as pipes
· 288 knives
· 8 brass kettles
· Vermilion face paint
· 3 pounds of tiny beads of assorted colors
· 45 flannel shirts
· Coats
· Frocks
· Hoes
· Woolen pants
· Blankets
· Knapsacks
· Stockings
· 15 muzzle-loading .54 caliber rifles
· Knives
· 500 rifle flints
· 420 pounds of sheet lead for bullets
· 176 pounds of gunpowder packed in 52
lead canisters
· 1 long-barreled air rifle
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