Signature Sites Schedule: Lewis & Clark

The national observance of the Lewis & Clark bicentennial was inaugurated January 18, 2003, at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. The event on Monticello's West Lawn featured two color guards, four musical groups, and more than 20 speakers, including filmmaker Ken Burns, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton, Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner, National Congress of American Indians President Tex G. Hall, and, as keynote speaker, University of Tulsa historian and author James P. Ronda. Approximately 3,700 people, including more that 200 American Indians representing over 40 tribes attended the event held on the 200th anniversary of President Jefferson's messages to Congress requesting funds for an expedition up the Missouri and on to the Pacific. Original objects made by American Indian artists for the Lewis & Clark exhibition "Framing the West at Monticello: Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis & Clark Exhibition" are on display in the house as part of Monticello's permanent collection.

The Falls of the Ohio 13 day Commemoration and Signature Event will showcase the role the Falls area and its residents played in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It will open on October 14 with the reenactment of Lewis' arrival and meeting with William Clark in Louisville, and end with the Corps of Discovery's departure from Clarksville on October 26. Between those dates, visitors can see and participate in extensive American Indian and African American programs, educational activities, lectures, the Corps of Discovery II and Tent of Many Voices, the world premier of "Spirit: the Seventh Fire", Discovery Expedition of St. Charles and Corps of Engineers encampments and programs, period artisan demonstrations and exhibits, the Expo Tent, special programs at area partner institutions, arts performances and children’s activities. Highlights include the unveiling of the heroic bronze statue of York, Shawnee Village, Taste of Lewis & Clark/Wild Beast Feast and the Falls of the Ohio Period Ball.

The Three Flags Events commemorate the transfer of Upper Louisiana from Spain to France to the United States in its capital city of St. Louis 200 years ago. Heads of State, the fourteen governors of the Louisiana Territory states, and the Chief of the Osage Nation are invited to participate in the March 14th ceremony on the Gateway Arch grounds. Author Dayton Duncan emcees the program, opening with a reenactment of Meriwether Lewis and members of the Discovery Expedition crossing the Mississippi from Illinois to the ceremony site, and performances by the French Air Force Band and the U.S. Army Band's Old Guard in period dress. Visit the "Creole Corridor" on both sides of the Mississippi River, the Art of the Osage exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum, the National Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Exhibition at the Missouri History Museum and the Fur Trade exhibit at the Mercantile Library. A Bicentennial Ball and a scholarly symposium will explore the Purchase's legacies.

The Illinois Lewis & Clark Festival will take place from May 13-16, 2004 at sites near the point of the departure of the Expedition. The “Opening Ceremonies-Eve of Discovery,” to be held on May 13 at the Gateway International Raceway in Madison, IL, will feature the U.S. Army’s The Old Guard, musical acts and special invited guests including Governor Blagojevich of Illinois and President Bush. On the “ Expedition Departure Day,” May 14, at the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site in Hartford, IL there will be a reenactment of the Expedition’s departure, heritage crafts demonstrations, scientific presentations on the flowers/fauna of the Expedition, and a Pierre Cruzette Fiddle Contest. On Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16, “Lewis & Clark Historical Days” will offer powwows, a symposium on Native American issues, and reenactments (with expert interpretations), art exhibits, scholarly historic presentations on the Expedition, and exhibits at several sites in the Alton IL area. Other weekend activities are foot, canoe, and bicycle races, Chautauqua events, a sunrise church service and sealing of a time capsule.

May 14, 2004 marks the start of the 9-day national commemoration in St. Charles and the city’s 25th Annual Lewis & Clark Heritage Days Festival.

Replicas of Lewis & Clark’s keelboat and pirogues, manned by the Discovery Expeditions of St. Charles, will arrive on May 15th from Camp River DuBois. The boats will be on display throughout the event, and crew members will be available to meet with visitors. Weekends will include colorful reveille and retreat ceremonies with more than 25 fife and drum corps and military units from across the United States.

Event highlights include an authentic reenactment of Lewis & Clark’s encampment and interpreters in authentic dress representing the 450 inhabitants of 1804 St. Charles. More than 60 booths offering 19th-century crafts and foods, musters, a Native American encampment, and horse and carriage parades will continue throughout the event.

The event concludes May 23, 2004, when this Missouri riverfront community bids farewell to the Discovery Expedition as it heads upriver.

July 4, 1804, was the first Independence Day observance west of the Mississippi. Lewis & Clark's celebration consisted of two blasts from the keelboat’s cannon near present-day Atchison, Kansas. We plan to bump it up a notch in 2004.

From a soaring air show to a multi-voiced reading of the Declaration of Independence to spectacular displays of fireworks along the Missouri River, all America will be treated to a breathtaking commemoration on July 4, 2004 in Atchison, Leavenworth and Kansas City.

The excitement of “A Journey Fourth” stretches beyond that remarkable weekend. As one of the very few major metropolitan areas on the trail, the Greater Kansas City area offers a complete vacation destination. From Fort Osage near Independence, Missouri, to White Cloud, Kansas you can choose from an extensive list of commemorative activities lasting nearly three weeks, June 19 - July 11, 2004. For more information about the Heart of America: A Journey Fourth commemoration, call 1-800-858-1749

The “First Tribal Council” Signature Event will take place July 31 through August 3, 2004 at multiple venues. Planned daytime activities, including living history demonstrations, Native American cultural areas and interactive educational workshops designed for all ages and interests, will be held at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park near Fort Calhoun. This location is the site of the historic meeting. Evening activities, including a professionally written dramatic interpretation of the first council between the Expedition and Native Americans, will take place in Omaha. Various trail communities are planning related activities. Nebraska's Bicentennial Commission, in conjunction with other partners, has commissioned renowned composer, Philip Glass, to write a Lewis & Clark Piano Concerto. This musical score will be an integral part of the Signature Event's evening performances. The entire concerto, featuring the Omaha Symphony, will premier in September 2004 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This Signature event will educate visitors to remember experiences prior, during and after Lewis & Clark visited the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) during August 27-28, 2004. Tour itineraries will be available showcasing guided tours to the various tribes in South Dakota; a festival of various cultural activities will be hosted at the Circle of Tipis at Oacoma, South Dakota, the Native American Scenic Byway Information center. The kick off event will also be hosting an Art Auction at the Cedar Shore Resort at Oacoma, South Dakota. Visitors will also travel to Greenwood, South Dakota where Lewis & Clark met the Yankton Sioux's. Tours will be available from August 27 through September 26, 2004. Tours will offer visitors educational excursions along the Lewis & Clark trail and also to "get off the beaten path" to visit other tribes that are located off the trail.

This event will highlight the cordial welcome that the Lewis & Clark Expedition received from the earthlodge peoples of the Upper Missouri. It will 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 & Clark knew when they arrived in what is now North Dakota that they would find, and found, information and hospitality from the Missouri River Indians. "Circle of Cultures" will showcase the thriving centuries-old trading "Mecca of the Northern Plains".

Join us to experience the high-tech "Virtual Village" of the Mandan Indians at its unveiling. Enter replica Mandan Indian village earthlodges with Native American interpretation and demonstrations accenting the living history. Enjoy re-enactors and scholars including James P. Ronda, Clay Jenkinson, Tom Theissen, Dayton Duncan, Ray Wood, Amy Mossett and more.

Plan to "EXPLORE! The Big Sky" as the journals of Lewis & Clark unfold during this 34-day event. "EXPLORE! The Big Sky" commemorates the fateful decision at the Marias River confluence, commemorates the portage end in Great Falls, and honors the native cultures of the Plains Indian tribes. Families and Lewis & Clark aficionados alike will enjoy the activities offered each day in rural and metropolitan communities.

Immerse yourself in the traditional life ways of the Plains Indians by exploring a traditional village and the cultural displays presented by Montana tribes. Watch Indian athletes compete in horse and canoe races, or games of skill and accuracy, or play these time-honored games with new friends. Hear deep-rooted stories from the past. Enjoy an opera based on the story of Scarface, a legend in the Blackfeet Tribe’s culture, or attend a rock concert featuring nationally renowned Indian musicians.

"Ocian in view…O! The Joy!"

Experience the same joy Lewis and Clark felt when they arrived at the Pacific Ocean by way of the Columbia River. Destination: The Pacific offers a week of Signature Event activities that commemorate The Arrival, The Vote, The Crossing, and Wintering Over of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the shores of the Pacific "ocian."The Signature Event takes place November 11 – 15, 2005, kicking off four months of Wintering Over activities that conclude in March 2006 with a special departure celebration.

The Signature Event includes a Breakfast with Discovery Corps II and Commemorative Vote Thanksgiving Dinner at Station Camp in Washington; dedication of new trails including the Fort-To-Sea trail from Fort Clatsop to Sunset Beach and the Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail between Ilwaco and Long Beach; a boat excursion along the Columbia River to view the route of the Expedition’s crossing; Rededication of Fort Clatsop; an Exposition with crafts, food, and entertainment; and a Performing Arts Festival. Come for Lewis and Clark. Stay for the time of your life.

Status: Upcoming

The Lewis & Clark Expedition entered the Niimiipuu (The Nez Perce) aboriginal homelands in September of 1805, and with this first chance encounter they were met with caution and suspicion. During this time, most of the able-bodied men were on a war raid in the south. An elderly woman named, "Weetxuuwiis," encouraged and advised the camp not to harm them because of her previous experience living among the Sooyaapoos. Would the course of history have changed if the able-bodied men had been present in the camp when the expedition arrived? Regardless, the Niimiipuu are described as friendly, hospitable, and gracious hosts toward the expedition, and it still reflects the Niimiipuu today.

On their return trip eastward, the Lewis & Clark expedition renewed their relationship with the Niimiipuu in June of 1806. On June 1417, 2006, the Niimiipuu will commemorate that relationship by hosting a National Signature Event, entitled, "Among the Niimiipuu." The world is invited to experience a unique commemoration of events that reflect the diversity of cultures of people for those who attend.

The Clark on the Yellowstone Signature Event, July 22-25, 2006 enables modern day explorers to rediscover Captain William Clark's travels along the Yellowstone River. This event commemorates the 200th anniversary of Clark inscribing his name on Pompeys Pillar, the only remaining physical evidence of the Lewis & Clark expedition appearing on the trail as it did 200 years ago. ClarFk, showing his affection for Sacagawea's young son, whom he called "Pomp", named this sandstone pillar at the river's edge in his honor. A National Day of Honor commemorating this event, and recognizing the historic use of the Pillar by American Indians is set for July 25, 2006. A new interpretive center will greet visitors at the recently created Pompeys Pillar National Monument, administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Canoe landings, trail rides, wildlife displays and exhibits at local museums in nearby Billings, Montana will engage people of all ages.

On August 12, 1806 Lewis & Clark reunited on the Missouri River near the present-day headquarters of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. The expedition traveled on to the Knife River Hidatsa and Mandan villages and days later, bid farewell to their interpreters Sakajawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. Before leaving the Mandan villages, they persuaded one tribal leader, White Coyote, to return with them to meet President Thomas Jefferson. On August 20, 1806 the Expedition left what is now North Dakota.

In August 2006, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota will observe the return of the Corps of Discovery to their homelands, the reunion of Sakajawea at Awatixa, her Hidatsa home, and the journey of White Coyote to the nation's capitol.

The major themes of this signature event will center on Sakajawea and her life before, during and after the expedition; the Missouri River and it's impact on the lives of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, and other tribes that hold this river sacred; tribal leadership and the political, social, and ceremonial organization of tribes 200 years ago and today; tribal trade networks and international trade. This four-day event will feature scholarly symposia, reenactments, dramatic presentations; an art exhibition and trade fair, indigenous games, land and water parades, singing and traditional dance competition, and a fur trade rendezvous.

On September 23, 1806 the Lewis & Clark Expedition officially ended when the explorers arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. In commemoration of the bicentennial of this event a consortium of Missouri and Illinois state, county and local groups will recreate the return of Lewis & Clark to St. Louis. A flotilla of watercraft will originate at various historic sites on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and converge on the riverfront. A series of programs and events will explore the multicultural composition of the expedition. Representatives from all of the Tribal Nations encountered by Lewis and Clark will be invited to participate in this final signature event commemorating the return of Lewis & Clark in 1806.

Status: Upcoming

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