Excursions, Expeditions, and "Discoveries:" A Young Nation Expands & Reimagining America: The Maps of Lewis & Clark

Exhibition Overview

President Thomas Jefferson, long fascinated about exploring and mapping the land west of the Mississippi, suddenly was given the chance in 1803 when the United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France.

Jefferson was ready to act, sending four teams to explore the 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River between 1804 and 1807. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark into the northern regions of the Purchase; Zebulon Pike into the Rocky Mountains, the southwestern areas, and two smaller forays; Thomas Freeman and Peter Custis along the Red River; and William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter to explore the ​“Washita” River and ​“the hot springs” in what is now Arkansas and Louisiana.

“New Archive” is an advanced level photography course offered in the School of Art at Louisiana State University by Associate Professor Johanna Warwick. In the spring 2026 semester, New Archive students collaborated with Louisiana’s Old State Capitol Museum to research and map the Dunbar and Hunter diaries to retrace their path along the Red, Black, Ouachita, and Mississippi Rivers.

With this knowledge, students planned a two-day camping journey following Dunbar and Hunter’s early journal entries, making images that reference Dunbar & Hunter’s writings while reflecting on what exists at these sites today