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Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
By: Don Clare

The year 2003 marks the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. To celebrate this historic event, a national Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission was established several years ago to plan for a historic bicentennial re-creation and re-enactment of the entire three year adventure from 1803 to 1806. Across the country, similar local and statewide commissions have been established for the same purpose. As mentioned in Paul Marcotte's article, the House and Senate in the Kentucky General Assembly have created the governor's Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission for the state of Kentucky.

You may ask, "What significance does the Lewis and Clark expedition have here in Kentucky? That expedition explored the uncharted far west." True, but remember, it all originated in the Eastern U.S. on July 5, 1803. Meriwether Lewis set out for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was having built a 55 foot keelboat for the trip. He was to bring the boats, supplies, arms and crew down the Ohio River to The Falls of the Ohio (Louisville, KY) to meet up with William Clark. After many delays, they finally rendezvoused on October 14, 1803. Oh his way down river, Meriwether Lewis spent more than a week in Cincinnati (Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 1803) where he was instructed by President Thomas Jefferson to examine the collection of fossil bones of Dr. Casper Wistar from the famous Ohio River salt lick and to actually visit Big Bone Lick, which he did.

President Jefferson gave Lewis and Clark specific instructions to be on the lookout for these huge mammals during their exploration of the West. The theory of extinction was not widely accepted in Jefferson's time and he was sure these large mammals immigrated to the Western Territory to live. Again, at the conclusion of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Thomas Jefferson sent William Clark back to Big Bone to collect more specimens. Big Bone played a major role in the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the scientific endeavors of our third president, Thomas Jefferson.

As a group, The Friends of Big Bone needs to start planning events and celebration activities for this monumental historic bicentennial event. Anyone interested?

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