"Forgotten Brother Reuben Lewis: Missouri River Fur Trader and Indian A" by Jay H. Buckley and Deveney Reber
 

Keywords

Meriwether Lewis, Reuben Lewis, Missouri River Fur Trade, Indian Agent, Arkansas Cherokees

Abstract

Reuben Lewis was born in 1777, the fourth and youngest child of William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether. Their oldest child, Jane, married and lived out her days at Locust Hill, the family estate in Virginia. The Lewis’ second child, baby Lucinda, died in infancy. Their third child, Meriwether – the closest in age and friendship to Reuben – became the famous first half of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which explored the uncharted West before he met his tragic and mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee. While Reuben’s life has been rightly overshadowed by his older brother Meriwether’s achievements, Reuben’s accomplishments are also of significance. Reuben led and joined multiple fur-trade expeditions from 1809 to 1813, served as government Indian Agent to the Cherokees on the Arkansas River from 1817 to 1820, and finally returned home to care for his family including his mother Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks in her old age.

Original Publication Citation

Reber, Deveney, and Jay H. Buckley. “Forgotten Brother Reuben Lewis: Missouri River Fur Trader and Indian Agent for the Arkansas Cherokees.” We Proceeded On 49, no. 1 (February 2023): 20-50.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2023-2

Publisher

Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

History

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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