"When they shook hands, the Lewis and Clark
Expedition began."
-Historian Stephen E. Ambrose describing the
meeting of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at the Falls of the Ohio in
his book, Undaunted Courage.
The Indiana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission was created by Public Law
7-2001 to highlight Indiana's important role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition
and assist with events to commemorate the Expedition's bicentennial beginning
in 2003.
The Commission invites you to visit Lewis and Clark sites in Indiana to see
where the Corps of Discovery was born and to learn about the first men to join
its ranks. In October of 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark spent time
in Clarksville, Indiana at the cabin of General George Rogers Clark planning
for the Expedition. They recruited and enlisted the first members of the Corps
of Discovery before departing down the Ohio River for the west from Clarksville
on October 26, 1803. In 2003, southern Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky will
commemorate the bicentennial of these events during a "National Signature Event"
designated by the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial.
This web site will provide you with information about Lewis and Clark places
to visit in Indiana, the many Indiana events planned to commemorate the bicentennial,
and the official activities of the Indiana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission.
If
you have any questions about the bicentennial or the Commission,
please
contact us.