Meriwether Lewis Dies: Explorer's Mysterious End
Meriwether Lewis died at age 35 at an inn called Grinder's Stand on the Natchez Trace in 1809 with two gunshot wounds — one to the head, one to the chest. The innkeeper's wife said he shot himself. His belongings were rifled through. Money was missing. Thomas Jefferson believed it was suicide, citing Lewis's depression and drinking. Lewis's family insisted it was murder and robbery. No investigation was ever conducted. The man who'd mapped half a continent died on a dirt road, and nobody bothered to find out why.
October 11, 1809
217 years ago
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