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Signature Events — Details

14-26 October 2003  •  Louisville, Kentucky & Clarksville, Indiana.  The Falls of the Ohio 13 day commemoration and signature event will open with the reenactment of Lewis' arrival in Louisville and meeting with William Clark on October 14. It will close with the reenactment of the Corps departure from Clarksville on October 26. Between those dates, extensive Native American and African American programs, educational programs, a symposium with renowned speakers, Corps of Discovery II exhibits and programs, St. Charles Expedition programs, special exhibits and programs at area institutions, arts exhibits and performances, and the expanded annual Lewis and Clark River Festival will showcase the role the Falls of the Ohio area and its residents played in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

12-14 March 2004   •   St. Louis, Missouri.  In Spring 2004, the world will turn its attention to the St. Louis area in commemoration of the Corps of Discovery's embarkation on America's epic journey of exploration. On March 14, 2004, the National Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Committee and the National Park Service will host the Three Flags Ceremony to observe the 200th anniversary of the transfer of the Louisiana Territory from Spain to France to the United States. Invited guests will include the King of Spain, the President of France, the President of the United States, the governors of all the states created out of the Louisiana Purchase, and the heads of tribal governments whose homelands were affected.  On sites surrounding the grounds of the Gateway Arch, activity areas will feature the cultures of the Louisiana Territory –French, Spanish, Anglo-American, and Osage—through interactive displays relating the legacies of the these cultures in America and highlighting the roles of these cultures in today’s world. Musical performances and, possibly, an Air Force flyover will precede the ceremony.

13-16 May 2004   •   Hartford & Wood River, Illinois.  On May 14, 2004, the communities of Hartford and Wood River, Illinois will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Corps of Discovery’s final departure on May 14, 1804 from its winter encampment at Camp River DuBois. On this day, the Discovery Expedition re-enactors will leave their Camp River DuBois winter quarters, board their boats, and launch from the eastern bank of the Mississippi into the mouth of the Missouri River to begin their journey into the West.  The public is invited to not only visit the new Lewis and Clark Visitor Center and Camp River DuBois fort replica in Hartford, but witness and participate in the departure’s re-enactment ceremony, world-class musical and dramatic entertainment, and period heritage craft and skill demonstrations.

14-23 May 2004   •   St. Charles, Missouri.  May 14th, 2004 marks the start of the national commemoration events in Saint Charles and the 25th Annual Lewis and Clark Heritage Days Festival. A replica of Lewis & Clark’s keelboat will arrive in Saint Charles on May 15th from Camp River DuBois, just as it did 200 years ago with Captain Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Saint Charles is where Clark awaited the arrival of Captain Lewis from St. Louis on May 20th, 1804. The keelboat’s arrival kicks off over a week full of events commemorating the historic union and life in the early 1800s.  The St. Charles Corps of Discovery keelboat and pirogues will be on display throughout the event and crew members will be available to meet and talk with visitors as they prepare for the journey westward. Weekends will include colorful reveille and retreat ceremonies with over 25 fife and drum corps and military units from across the United States. An authentic reenactment of Lewis & Clark's encampment will be a focal point of the event. The reenactment will include reconstructed buildings and interpreters in authentic dress representing the village of St. Charles and its 450 inhabitants in 1804. Foods from the time period, over 60 booths of 19th century crafts, musters, a Native American encampment, and horse and carriage parades will continue through the event, giving visitors the opportunity to step back in time and experience life as Lewis & Clark did.  The event concludes May 23, 2004, with this Missouri riverfront community bidding farewell to the keelboat and pirogues, manned by the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles crew, as they head upriver and away from civilization.

3-4 July 2004   •   Atchison & Leavenworth, KS & Kansas City, Missouri.  The Missouri River communities of Atchison, Leavenworth, and Kansas City will salute the first Independence Day celebrated in the American West. On July 4, 1804, the expedition celebrated the 28th birthday of the Declaration of Independence by firing its swivel cannon and enjoying an extra ration of whiskey.  Kansas City Area events will offer opportunities for a diverse cross section of Americans to explore how independence and democracy have affected us as a culture since Lewis and Clark opened the West for settlement. A variety of commemorative events, programs and educational materials incorporating cultural and ethnic diversity, re-enactments, and historical aspects of the Lewis & Clark Expedition are planned. Activities will include an Air show at the Downtown Airport located at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers along with a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display over the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas City and Leavenworth.

31 July - 3 August 2004   •   Fort Atkinson Historical Park, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.  Nebraska’s “First Tribal Council” Signature Event will be held at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, July 31 through August 3, 2004. Fort Atkinson State Historical Park is located nine miles north of Omaha, Nebraska. This Event will showcase an outdoor dramatic reenactment of the First Council between the Corps of Discovery and the Oto and Missouria Tribes. In conjunction with the Signature Event, and in the spirit of the First Tribal Council, the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, in partnership with the Nebraska Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission will host the First Annual World Commemoration of the Nebraska Lewis and Clark Powwow, in Omaha, Nebraska. Every tribe along the Lewis and Clark trail, as well as tribes throughout North America will be invited to participate in the Powwow.  In addition to the reenactment, there will be four full days of a commemorative atmosphere in the towns and cities along the trail in Nebraska and Iowa.

27 August - 6 September 2004   •   Through South Dakota Trial Lands & Reservations.  This signature event will focus on educating the visitors to remember experiences prior, during and after Lewis and Clark visited the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) during August 27-28, 2004. It will include a Festival of events showcasing the "our story" at the Circle of Tipis at Oacoma, SD and hosting an Art Auction at the Cedar Shore Resort at Oacoma, SD.  Visitors will also travel to Greenwood, SD where Lewis and Clark met the Yankton Sioux's. The Yankton Sioux Tribe will be providing a variety of events showcasing their tribal culture and arts. The Signature event in SD will Close September 26, 2004 with a tribal tour of the Circle of Tipis.  The second week in September to September 26, 2004 visitors will be able to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail to experience unique/educational opportunities along the trail and also to “get off the beaten path” to visit other tribes that are located off the trail.

22-31 October 2004  •  University of Mary, Bismarck, ND This event’s goal is to renew the bonds of friendship and cooperation forged by the Corps of Discovery during the winter of 1804-05. Visitors will taste what they tasted, see what they saw, and hear what they heard. Lewis and Clark looked for a winter camp when they arrived in what are now North Dakota and found information and the hospitality of the Missouri River Indians. "Circle of Cultures" will showcase the place Lewis and Clark wintered in 1804-05 and show the thriving centuries-old trading "Mecca" of the Northern Plains. Visitors can answer President Jefferson’s 87 ethnographic questions about the Plains Indians and experience the hospitality of North Dakota today.

1 June - 4 July 2005  •  Great Falls, Montana.  Beginning on June 1, 2005, “Explore the Big Sky” will offer a series of events at sites between Fort Benton and great Falls. For 34-days activities will bring to life Lewis and Clark’s monumental decision at the fork of the Marias and Missouri River, their discovery of the great falls of the Missouri, the encounter with the grizzly bear, the portage of the great falls, and their celebration of their second Fourth of July during the Expedition. Activities will include re-enactments, symposiums, museum exhibits, concerts, an opera, traditional Indian Villages, tribal games, literature festivals, art shows, scenic tours, river tours, and art shows. Events planned include an opening ceremony at the confluence of the Marias and Missouri Rivers on June 2, 2005. A celebration of Lewis’ discovery of the great falls of the Missouri on June 13, 2005. Opening ceremonies of the International Traditional Tribal Game on June 28, 2005. A Plains Indian Culture Day on July 2, 2005 and on July 4, 2005, re-enactments, symposiums and other events focusing on the achievements of the Corps of Discovery.

11-15 November 2005  •  Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Astoria, Oregon. The rich history of the United States is also the rich history of the National Guard. The Lewis and Clark expedition is a prime example of the overlapping histories of the United States and the military. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, known as the Corps of Discovery, was a military expedition led by regular army officers, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark. All the men of the expedition, except York, Clark’s slave, Toussaint Charbonneau and George Drouillard, were enlisted and were subject to military discipline and the Articles of War. The organization of the boat crews, the mess arrangements and the duties were all based on squads led by non-commissioned officers. Uniforms, rifles, muskets, equipment and provisions were either military issue or purchased through military channels. The modern military, US Army, National Guard and Reserve, is involved because it is a rich part of the non-combat role and mission of American military service then and now. Among the many exciting events that will be taking place are: Opening Ceremonies held at Fort Stevens Historic Area Parade Grounds in Hammond, OR at 10AM on 11 November; Corps II National Park Service Travelling Exhibit open from 7 - 15 November; Festival of the Pacific: Lewis and Clark Remembered at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds in Astoria from 11 - 13 November; and the Fort to Sea Trail Dedication that will be held at Sunset Beach on 14 November at 12 noon.

14-17 June 2006   •  Lewiston / Lapwai, Nez Perce National Historical Park, Clearwater Casino, Heart of the Monster, Idaho.  More information will be added when available.

22-25 July 2006  •  Pompey’s Pillar, Billings, Montana.  Communities along the Yellowstone River, the longest free-flowing river in the lower United States will welcome visitors to one of America’s newest National Monuments, Pompeys Pillar. This event will focus on Clark’s journey down the Yellowstone and the inscription of his name on Pompeys Pillar, the only remaining physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition appearing on the trail as it did 200 years ago. Clark, showing his affection for Sacagawea’s infant son, whom he called “Pomp,” named this sandstone pillar at the river’s edge in his honor. In commemoration of this event, a Day of Honor will be declared with visitors being greeted by a new interpretive center and activities ranging from river floats, historical reenactments, and Native American games.

17-20 August 2006  •  New Town, North Dakota.  To mark the 200th anniversary of the Corps of Discovery’s joyful return to the Knife River Villages, the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation will invite America to gather with the tribes who observed or encountered the Lewis and Clark Expedition in an event offering Native American perspectives. This signature event will contrast the hopes and dreams of President Thomas Jefferson with those of tribal leaders who met Lewis and Clark.  It will also focus on the contributions of Sakakawea, the only woman who was part of the expedition. Her extraordinary story will be presented from the oral histories of all the tribes who knew her and taught her. This Native American event will offer an Indian arts market and trade show, men’s traditional dance tournament, cultural demonstrations and re-enactments, and tours of Indian Country.

20-24 September 2006  •  The Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area.  On September 23, 1806 the Lewis and Clark Expedition officially ended when the explorers arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. In commemoration of the bicentennial of this event the National Park Service and a consortium of Missouri and Illinois State, county and local groups will recreate the arrival of Lewis and Clark in St. Louis. A flotilla of watercraft will originate at various historic sites on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. These historic sites will present exhibits and conduct programs during the weekend. The event will involve a "convergence" of watercraft from these sites on the St. Louis waterfront, emulating the return of Lewis and Clark in 1806. The President of the United States and other dignitaries will be invited.