Seaman was purchased in 1803 specifically for the expedition by Captain Meriwether Lewis, while he was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, awaiting completion of the boats for the voyage. He chose a Newfoundland, whose estimated weight is 150 pounds (68 kg) and for which he paid the high price of $20 (equivalent to $407 in 2023): half a month's pay for an Army captain. Working dogs, strong and easy to handle—Lewis describes Seaman as "docile"[2]—, he chose a Newfoundland because they do well on boats, are good swimmers, and can assist in water rescues.[3] His name reflects this.
There is no explicit description of Seaman's color or appearance. He is nowadays universally depicted as black or dark brown, the colors of most modern Newfoundlands,[4] but a survey by an art historian of the breed as it was depicted in paintings of the early nineteenth century found "not a single all-black [that] was called a Newfoundland". "In fact, all the early 19th century illustrations which I have found, and whose color I could authenticate[,] were white with black or dark areas and frecklings."[5]
Seaman on the expedition
Seaman did many things to help the explorers, and they became fond of him. He was "our dog".[6]
I made my dog take as many [squirrels] each day as I had occasion for, they wer fat and I thought them when fryed a pleasant food. ...my dog...would take the squirrel in the water and kill them and swimming bring them in his mouth to the boat.[7]: 274
He also retrieved geese and deer, and once killed and retrieved an antelope swimming across a river.[7]: 274
According to Lewis and Clark's report, some Native Americans were impressed by the dog's "sagacity" (wisdom, obedience);[8]: I, 384 they had never seen such a big dog.[9] The dog "patrolled all night" to warn of bears,[8]: I, 233 and once had to drive off a buffalo in their camp while the men slept.[7]: 274–275
A modern commentator on the Expedition remarked that "Lewis seems to have been happiest when he was alone on shore with his gun, his notebook, and his dog Seaman."[7]: 65
During the expedition, around May 14, 1805, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark performed surgery on one of Seaman's arteries in his hind leg that had been severed by a beaver bite.[1] In early 1806, as the expedition was beginning the return journey, Seaman was stolen by Indians and Lewis sent three men to retrieve the dog. Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery ate over 200 dogs, bought from the Indians, while traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail, in addition to their horses, but Seaman was spared.[6]
The final reference to Seaman in the expedition journals, recorded by Lewis on July 15, 1806, states that "[T]he musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist... My dog even howls with the torture he experiences from them."[10][11]
Seaman after the expedition
Seaman survived the expedition, and Lewis took the dog home with him to St. Louis. He is reported to have refused food and died of grief after Lewis's premature death. According to a contemporary historian:
After the melancholy exit of Gov. Lewis, his dog would not depart for a moment from his lifeless remains; and when they were deposited in the earth no gentle means could draw him from the spot of interment. He refused to take every kind of food which was offered him, and actually pined away and died with grief upon his master's grave![12]
According to the same historian, in 1814 Seaman's collar was in an Alexandria, D.C., museum and bore the inscription:
The greatest traveller of my species My name is SEAMAN the dog of captain Meriwether Lewis whom I accompanied to the Pacifick Ocean through the interior of the continent of North America[12]
The mistaken name "Scannon"
Due to a transcription error in Lewis' journals, the dog was once thought to have been named Scannon. However, during Donald Jackson's 1984 study of Lewis and Clark place-names in Montana—every expedition member got something named after him—he found that Lewis had named a tributary of the Blackfoot River Seaman's Creek (now Monture Creek) and concluded that the true name of the dog was "Seaman".[13][11][14]
Honors
In 2008, Seaman became the official mascot of Lewis & Clark College's Pioneers.[15] He was proposed unsuccessfully for State Historical Dog of Missouri.[16]
Monuments to or including Seaman:
A 20 inches (510 mm) bronze sculpture of Meriweather Lewis accompanied by Seaman, "Lewis the Naturalist", by Chinese-American sculptor Kwan Wu, was reported in 2000 to have been on permanent display at the White House. It was located in the hall just outside the room where Lewis and President Jefferson often ate meals.[17]
A tablet, similar to a tombstone, stands in front of the Custom House in Cairo, Illinois.[18]link
Yates, Laura Lee (2016). Bound for the Western Sea : The Canine Account of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. There is a companion CD of period and original music, performed by Harry Harpoon & friends, and also titled Bound for the Western Sea. Paonia, CO: Undaunted Press. ISBN9780997349108.
Children's books about Seaman (by date)
Bramstedt, Christine Turpin (1988). Ballad of Seaman : dog of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Alton, IL: Stimark Publications. OCLC22425384.
Karwoski, Gail (1999). SeaMan: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark. Atlanta, Georgia: Peachtree. ISBN9781561451906.
Albers, Everett C.; Eslinger, Kimberly (1999). Lewis and Clark meet the American Indians, as told by Seaman the dog. Bismarck, ND. ISBN9780967400204.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Albers, Everett C.; Holmberg, James J. (2002). The saga of Seaman : the story of the dog who went with Lewis & Clark : Seaman's tale in verse. Introduction by James J. Holmberg. Bismarck, ND: Northern Lights, ND Press. ISBN9780971718104.
Eubank, Patti Reeder (2002). Seaman's journal : on the trail with Lewis and Clark. Nashville, Tennessee: Ideals Children's Books. ISBN9780824954420.
Albert, Kathy (2002). Dog of discovery. Austin, Texas: Kids Read Press. ISBN9780972258128.
Young, Robert (2003). Passage : A Dog's Journey West with Lewis and Clark. Eugene, Oregon: Mad Dog Press. ISBN9780974219608.
Lowe, Vicky Daffin; Lowe, Lester D. (2003). Dog gone West : the story of Lewis and Clark and a dog named Seaman. Lewiston, Idaho: North Central Idaho Travel Association. ISBN9780974390208.
Smith, Dona (2004). Cross-Country with Lewis and Clark. Seaman has a journal and narrates the expedition. New York: Scholastic. ISBN0439434416.
Couchman, Linda Jessie; Hailey, Linda Marie; Warner, Linda Sue (2007). Seaman's journey with Lewis and Clark. Ballwin, Missouri: The Quiet Man Foundation. ISBN9780974934112.
Pringle, Laurence P. (2008). Dog of discovery : a Newfoundland's adventures with Lewis and Clark. Read on 4 CDs. There is no printed book. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books. ISBN9781436163903.
^ abcdTubbs, Stephanie Ambrose; Jenkinson, Clay Straus (2003). The Lewis and Clark Companion. An Encyclopedic Guide to the Voyage of Discovery. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN0805067256.
^Mussulman, Joseph (October 2005). "Lewis's Dog Seaman". Discover Lewis & Clark. Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
^"Seaman". Public Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
^ ab"Seaman". Montana Kids. Montana Office of Tourism. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
^ abHolmberg, James J. (February 2000). "Seaman's Fate". We Proceeded On: 7–9. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
^Duncan, Dayton. "Answers To Your Questions". Lewis and Clark - The Journey of The Corps of Discovery. pbs.org. Archived from the original on October 5, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
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