Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute explains how President Thomas Jefferson believed in the future of agriculture. In fact, he believed it to be the cornerstone to the success of the country’s new independence.
It has been said Jefferson gave Meriwether Lewis specific instructions in the summer of 1803 before he and William Clark set out on their 1804 expedition.
His instructions were to provide information on what he called agricultural paradises that are west of the Mississippi, and not only areas of land for crops and production, but land that was already ripe for hunting, fishing, and logging as the country continued to expand.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.