Seaman (dog) explained

Seaman
Species:Domestic dog
Breed:Newfoundland
Gender:Male
Birth Place:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (purchased)
Death Date:after 1806
Years Active:1803–1806
Known:Participation in Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Owner:Meriwether Lewis
Children:None known
Weight: (estimated)

Seaman, a Newfoundland dog, was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the first trip from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast and back. He was the only animal to complete the entire three-year trip.[1]

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 and for which he paid the high price of $20 : 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, 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."[4]

Seaman on the expedition

Seaman did many things to help the explorers, and they became fond of him. He was "our dog".

He also retrieved geese and deer, and once killed and retrieved an antelope swimming across a river.

According to Lewis and Clark's report, some Native Americans were impressed by the dog's "sagacity" (wisdom, obedience);[5] they had never seen such a big dog.[6] The dog "patrolled all night" to warn of bears,[5] and once had to drive off a buffalo in their camp while the men slept.

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."

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.[7]

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."[8] [9]

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:

According to the same historian, in 1814 Seaman's collar was in an Alexandria, D.C., museum and bore the inscription:

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".[10] [9] [11]

Honors

In 2008, Seaman became the official mascot of Lewis & Clark College's Pioneers.[12] He was proposed unsuccessfully for State Historical Dog of Missouri.[13]

Monuments to or including Seaman:

See also

Creative literature about Seaman

Children's books about Seaman (by date)

. 9780152019891. The Captain's Dog : My journey with the Lewis and Clark tribe. Roland Smith. San Diego. Harcourt, Brace. 1999.

Further reading

Teaching material

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Seaman. April 10, 2015. National Park Service. April 21, 2012. June 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120619082342/http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/seaman.htm. live.
  2. Book: Lewis , Meriweather . Meriweather Lewis

    . Journal. Meriweather Lewis. September 11, 1803. 2021-09-02. 2021-03-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210323201633/https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1803-09-11#lc.jrn.1803-09-11.01. live.

  3. Web site: Central Montana's 3 Famous Dogs. June 26, 2018. August 20, 2021. Central Montana Tourism. August 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821164800/https://centralmontana.com/blog/central-montanas-3-famous-dogs/. live.
  4. What Color is a Newfoundland and When?. Emma H.. Mellencamp. Newfoundland Tide. 7. 4. 1976. 2021-10-11. 2018-08-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20180831100511/http://thenewfoundland.org/mellencamp2.html. live.
  5. Book: History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed during the years 1804-5-6. By order of the government of the United States. Prepared for the press by Paul Allen, Esquire . Paul. Allen. Paul Allen (editor). Lewis. Meriwether. There was also a story called:"Lewis and Clark and Me". Clark. William. 1814. Meriwether Lewis. William Clark. Philadelphia. Bradford and Inskeep.
  6. Lewis's Dog Seaman. Joseph. Mussulman. October 2005. Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Discover Lewis & Clark. 2021-10-12. 2021-08-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210829230602/http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/2515. live.
  7. Web site: Seaman – Lewis' Newfoundland Dog. Lewis and Clark Trail. April 21, 2012. 2011. April 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210413160214/http://lewisandclarktrail.com/seaman.htm. live.
  8. Web site: Seaman. Public Broadcasting System. April 21, 2012. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108104633/http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/seaman.html. live.
  9. Web site: Seaman. Montana Kids. Montana Office of Tourism. April 22, 2012. February 25, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120225031626/http://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/seaman.htm. live.
  10. Web site: Duncan. Dayton. Answers To Your Questions. Lewis and Clark - The Journey of The Corps of Discovery. pbs.org. June 7, 2013. October 5, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141005231116/http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/feed/. live.
  11. Call Him a Good Old Dog, But Don't Call Him Scannon. Donald. Jackson. We Proceeded On. July 1995. 5–10. 2021-09-02. 2021-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20210902142654/https://lewisandclark.org/wpo/pdf/vol11no3.pdf#page=1. live.
  12. Web site: Seaman, the Newfoundland Dog Explorer. Gentle Newfoundland Dogs. April 22, 2012. April 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419021129/http://www.gentle-newfoundland-dogs.com/seaman.html. live.
  13. News: Mo. House kills bill to name 'State Historical Dog'. St. Louis Public Radio. April 1, 2010. 2021-10-11. 2021-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20211012012757/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/delete1/2010-04-01/mo-house-kills-bill-to-name-state-historical-dog. live.
  14. Lewis Bronze on Display in White House. Statuette of 'Lewis the naturalist' includes his faithful Seaman. We Proceeded On. May 2000. 31. 26. 2. Matt. Nowak. 2021-09-06. 2018-02-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180218231628/http://www.lewisandclark.org/wpo/pdf/vol26no2.pdf#page=32. live.
  15. Web site: Graveyards of Illinois – Cairo City Cemetery. graveyards.com. April 21, 2012. February 22, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120222061703/http://graveyards.com/IL/Pulaski/cairocity/city-customhouse.html. live.
  16. News: Lewis & Clark Dedication. newspapers.com. The Paducah Sun (Paducah, Kentucky). 10 Aug 2006. 36. 11 October 2021. 12 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211012012730/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86897922/meriwether-lewis-and-his-dog-seaman-at/. live.
  17. News: Mo. House kills bill to name 'State Historical Dog'. St. Louis Public Radio. April 1, 2010. 2021-10-11. 2021-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20211012012731/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/delete1/2010-04-01/mo-house-kills-bill-to-name-state-historical-dog. live.
  18. Web site: Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural, and Educational Center. National Park Service. 2021. August 20, 2021. August 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821163256/https://www.nps.gov/places/sacajawea-interpretive-cultural-educational-center.htm. live.

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