Celebrating the bicentennial of Meriwether Lewis & William Clark's great scientific journey to the West is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Hoosiers. And the Falls of the Ohio is the place to be this October.
Before heading to the Falls this October, have a look at the Web sites devoted to the events and festival places: www.lewisandclark1803.com, www.ai.org/dnr/lewis-clark/index.html and www.fallsoftheohio.org.
You can participate in the celebration and commemorative events in nearby Jeffersonville, Clarksville and Louisville, where the second of several national events will be held during the 200th anniversary of the great expedition.
The Corps of Discovery II keelboat with historic re-enactors will arrive at the Louisville Waterfront Park Oct. 14 and depart Oct. 26. You might be able to catch glimpses of their re-creation journey along the Ohio River, perhaps across from Madison, Ind.
On Oct. 20, you'll want to see the Shawnee American Indian village at Falls of the Ohio State Park and the George Rogers Clark Homesite. These DNR properties will have most of the activities of the commemoration until Oct. 26.
By the time the first Indiana and Kentucky events in the bicentennial begin Oct. 7, it will be the end of a decade of planning and teamwork by many Falls-area leaders.
Local tourism officials and community leaders worked hard to uncover the role of Falls-area pioneers who formed the core of the Corps of Discovery.
Jim Kieth, the convention & visitors bureau director for Clark and Floyd counties, should be recognized for his commitment. He worked with people such as Elmer Hoehn, by now an elder statesman of Indiana politics and the Falls-area Greenway Commission, and with Congressman Baron Hill, to make sure the National Park Service had one of its national signature events at the Falls.
Dani Cummings has devoted herself to raising money to put on the national events locally; she is president of the bicentennial committee.
At the Falls of the Ohio State Park, DNR staff worked to re-create George Rogers Clark's cabin on Clark's Point above the Ohio River. Clark was William Clark's big brother, himself a hero of the Revolutionary War.
The DNR made sure the Clark Cabin is historically accurate, and I think you'll be surprised by how simply this hero of the Revolution lived.
Also, you might find the following tips useful:
The IMAX movie Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West will play at the Indiana State Museum/IMAX Theater all winter. Cost is just $6 for adult members of the museum, slightly more for non-members.
And make sure to look at historian Dr. Richard Gantz's article in this issue of Outdoor Indiana magazine (p. 10). Dick went to great pains to find out about Falls-area men who were part of the Lewis & Clark expedition; this is a very interesting tale.
