Lot
71 
[Louisiana Purchase] (Northwest Territory) "Cincinnati, 4 Augt. 1801", manuscript postmark with matching "25" rating on folded letter to Captain William Clark in Washington City, Northwest Territory, letter from Col. John Armstrong relating to a lawsuit and Ohio lands; cover faults, Fine and rare Northwest Territory use, ex-Tom Allen. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
William Clark (1770-1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor best known as one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Missouri. Serving with Meriwether Lewis, they led the first American overland expedition across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific Coast and back, leaving from Pittsburgh on August 31, 1803, and returning to St. Louis on September 23, 1806. They claimed the Pacific Northwest for the United States. Before the expedition, he served in a militia and the United States Army. In 1809 Clark was appointed brigadier general of the militia, superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Louisiana Territory, and Governor of the Missouri Territory in 1813. During the War of 1812, he led military campaigns and established the first post in what is now Wisconsin. After the war he returned to his position as Superintendent of Indian Affairs until his death in 1838.
Realized: $2,000