Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Due to numerous inconsistencies, oddities and lack of hard facts and evidence, the death of Meriwether Lewis became, in time, a topic of great discussion, wild speculation and genuine controversy as more and more people including some historians began to favor the idea that he was in fact murdered. Examples of this discussion can be found in pop culture as well. For instance, in one of the first chapters of The Secret History of Twin Peaks, a companion book to the television series Twin Peaks, it's theorized in great semi-fictional detail, some of it based on actual historical facts, that the man behind the conspiracy to murder Meriwether Lewis was none other than General James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. army during the first three American Presidents who was discovered after his death to have been a spy for the Spanish Crown. He was also the first Governor of Louisiana Territory until Lewis took over this duty. The book suggests that Lewis had evidence against Wilkinson and that this was the real reason why he had decided to personally travel to Washington by horse in 1809. After Lewis' tragic demise, Wilkinson's men including Major James Neely, Lewis' shady companion during the final leg of his journey, covered up all evidence of murder, took most of Lewis' valuable belongings and incriminating evidence and paid off the owners of the cabin where Lewis had died to keep quiet and repeat the agreed cover story of suicide if anyone ever asks them about it.

Featured in Ken Burns: America's Storyteller (2017)