Re: gold fringe admiralty WATER

long long time ago I was listening to shortwave (the heyday!) and heard a show claiming something to the effect….

Lewis and Clark took a boat and carried it across this great land - specifically to find the highest points in whatever town/city and they would use the boat to establish a maritime port/court which laid the groundwork for this corporate/admiralty law vs. legal thing.

Have never been able to verify this. thoughts?