Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose is a great book about the expedition. I picked it up on a trip to the US and really enjoyed it.

One of my favourite things I didn't know was that they kept getting to new 'untouched' villages of Native Americans who would come out to trade and knew perfectly well that white people existed as they'd been visited for years by various fur traders.

I read that too! Ambrose is a bit patriotic, but one can read between the lines.

- The expedition was like StarTrek/Voyager if it were a satire. A technological advanced boat with phaser weapons and futuristic medicine going boldly up the Mississippi to search for a wormhole to the Pacific and make first contact with new civilizations. Every village (and every random Indian dude) they met they presented their shiny uniforms and gave long-winded speeches (which were badly translated by Neelix/a good-for-nothing French trapper) about how they should ally with idealistic Starfleet (United States) instead of the evil Romulans and Ferengi (British and French). The Indians politely heard the speeches, than sat stoically in silence for a while during which they wondered how clueless from One to a thousand L&C were, and then asked for guns, alcohol and tobacco as gifts.

- Lewis & Clark give instead out medals of the Great Father Thomas Jefferson and funny hats left and right to make diplomacy with “chiefs”. Often the guy is just some hunter in the wilderness or some dudes being left in the village, I wonder how many big men and new hierarchies L&C created by randomly giving out a cool hat. Anyway the Indians politely take the gifted hat and then ask for guns, alcohol and tobacco.

- Every village they visit they ask that the tribe shouldn’t war against other tribes anymore as the US is strong enough to protect everlasting peace. Sometimes a village made the mistake to believe them and was promptly raided by the opportunistic warriors of a neighboring tribe.

- The L&C crew fucked more Indian women than Kirk kissed green girls from Orion. Of course women like exotic men in shiny uniforms giving expensive gifts, but often it was the men who brought their squaws without jealousy, because the advanced “medicine magic” must surely rub off through sex.

- The first contact between Starfleet and the Klingons (Prairie Sioux) was friendly but a big culture clash! The Americans polished their uniforms extra shiny and marched in formation and the Sioux one-upped them with their feather regalia and drum dancing. The Sioux proudly showed of the many slaves they just had raided in a war, look how mighty warriors we are! tlhIngan maH taHja!, and Lewis&Clark meekly suggested that the war captives look quite wretched, it would be christian to release at least the poor women and children?, and the Sioux are “Wtf, why? What is wrong with you Earthlings?”

- The Indian men treat their women shockingly bad. I guess I expected the “noble savage” from the westerns movies of my childhood, a wise hero who is in tune with nature and Gaia-feminism. No, the Prairie is a brutal Mad Max patriarchy! One time L&C (who are Virginia gentlemen) call the Indians out why they make their squaws do all the work and their excuse is that they are warriors who always have to be on guard and keep their hands free in case enemy tribes are attacking right now. Yeah, sure…

Edit: It seems I cant decide if I tell a story plot points in past (it is 200 year old history) or present tense (I remember it like a movie).