What Resources Does the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance Website Offer?

lewisandclark.org is the home of the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance (LCTA), and it works mainly as a hub that points visitors to four kinds of resources: a members' digital library, a quarterly journal with an online archive, trail event listings, and a Substack publication of trail stories and news. It is most useful if you want to read or research the expedition's history, follow along-the-trail events, or find your way to the Alliance's separate travel and educational sites. The site itself is a set of quick links rather than a single long archive, so expect to move between several destinations.

What you'll find on the site

William P. Sherman Digital Library

The homepage flags this as "New for members!" — a digital library reached through a "View Library" link. Because it is described as a member benefit, treat access as something tied to membership rather than an open public collection; the page does not state terms, so check with the Alliance if access matters to you.

Our Journal: We Proceeded On

The Alliance publishes a quarterly journal called We Proceeded On, named after a phrase that appears repeatedly in the expedition's collective journals. The key practical detail for researchers: all issues one year or older are online, along with bonus content. That makes the journal archive a usable starting point for back-issue reading without needing the current print issue.

Events Along the Trail

A "Trail Events" section collects events happening along the trail. Use it when you want time-bound programming rather than static history — for example, planning a trip or a local visit around something scheduled.

New on Substack: Real Stories of the Lewis and Clark Trail

The Alliance runs a Substack with story-driven posts and trail news. Headlines shown on the homepage include:

• "You know I'm Bad, I'm Bad, You Know It?" (29 Sep 2026) — how a stop at the Bad River turned worse for Lewis & Clark
• "Lewis and Clark, You Just Crossed the Continent. What Are You Going to Do Next?" (22 Sep 2026) — the return: luggage, a tavern, a tailor, a relieved president
• "Undaunted Travel Into Nez Perce Country" (24 Sep 2026) — Lewis and Clark, the Bitterroots, and the start of a remarkable story
• "Lewis and Clark Trail News" (20 Sep 2026) — September 19 edition

This is the section to check if you want shorter, narrative pieces and current updates rather than journal articles.

Where the site sends you next

The Alliance separates its work across three websites, and the homepage is explicit about which does what:

The homepage also mentions a Lewis and Clark Travel App for exploring the trail, a "latest curriculum guide" for taking students along the Corps of Discovery route, and a land acknowledgement recognizing Native Peoples who have lived on the land for millennia.

How to decide whether to use it

• Researching the expedition in depth → start with the We Proceeded On archive (issues a year or older) and then go to lewis-clark.org for the 2,300+ page educational material.
• Planning an actual trip → go straight to lewisandclark.travel and the travel app; the Alliance site is only the signpost.
• Want current, readable stories → the Substack is the liveliest part of the homepage.
• Looking for member-only material → the William P. Sherman Digital Library is the item to ask about, since access appears tied to membership.

One caveat worth noting: the homepage is a directory of links, so if you land on lewisandclark.org expecting the full content itself, you'll need to follow the links out to the journal archive, Substack, travel site, or educational site to actually read anything.