Explore
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, Clarks 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.