Lewis & Clark at the Falls of the Ohio

Fact Sheet 

What are we talking about?

In April 2001 the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial designated the Falls of the Ohio,
including the southern Indiana community of Clarksville, as a site for one of a dozen “National Signature Events” to be conducted during the 2003—2006 bicentennial commemoration. The Falls of the Ohio event will be conducted from October 13 to 26, 2003, the period which marks the 200th anniversary of Meriwether Lewis’s arrival at the Falls of the Ohio and the departure of the Corps of Discovery on the expedition that would take them to the Pacific Ocean and back.

Who was William Clark?

William Clark, a native of Virginia and younger brother of General George Rogers Clark, was the co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was living in Clarksville with his brother George during the months before Lewis arrived at the Falls. William also served on the Clarksville Board of Trustees, of which George was chairman, and as town surveyor. William Clark had been Meriwether Lewis’s superior officer in the Army during the 1790’s when they served under the command of General Anthony Wayne.

Why is the Falls of the Ohio significant?

William Clark was living at the Falls of the Ohio when Lewis invited him to serve as co-captain of the expedition.  It was here that Clark recruited seven members of the expedition and where Lewis and Clark met. After their meeting, Clarksville became their base of operations. It is where they swore in and trained the nucleus of the Corps of Discovery and appointed the noncommissioned officers, including Sgt. Charles Floyd, a former Clarksville constable who would be the only member to die on the expedition.  The party departed from Clarksville on October 26, 1803. It consisted of twelve members, including the two captains, seven men recruited locally by William Clark, two who joined Lewis along the way from Pittsburgh, and York, Clark’s slave. The expedition returned to the Falls on November 5, 1806. 

What Is The Corps of Discovery II?

"Corps of Discovery II" is perhaps the most creative project in the Park Service's history. Starting in 2003, 10 to 15 Park Service interpreters set out on three buses to follow the route of the original Corps of Discovery. The trip followed Lewis and Clark's journey day-by-day, taking three and a half years. During the winter months, when the two explorers stayed in one place for the entire season, the Park Service interpreters took the traveling exhibit to areas off the original trail, including southern states like Florida and Texas.  More info... http://www.nps.gov/discovery2000/press/lewis_clark.htm

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