Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition opened in St. Louis in January, 2004. Later this year the exhibition will make a coast-to-coast tour commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition. The tour will include Philadelphia, Denver, Portland, and Washington, DC. If you’re a history buff and can’t make it to one of these cities, don’t despair. The Lewis & Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition has its own online exhibition. Presented by the Missouri Historical Society this Web site is packed with great information. It is easy to navigate and the presentation is excellent.
You can follow the route of Lewis and Clark, explore the cultural landscape and browse the extensive artifacts database. The artifacts include documents, photographs, tools, clothing, jewelry and much more. You can get a description of each object, print it and even magnify it to get a close up look. It’s the next best thing to being there! You can also explore themes which give you a unique perspective of the entire expedition. Some of the themes include, The Imaginary West, A World of Women, Curing & Plants, Trade & Property, and Animals, Species & Spirits. You will need to have the free flash player installed on your computer to view the online exhibition. If you don’t already have it installed, it is an easy download and the Web site will automatically install it for you.
Take some time to thoroughly peruse this Web site. You are sure to find fascinating things. The Lewis and Clark expedition began in the mind of Thomas Jefferson. He once said: “Possessing a chosen country, with room enough for our descendents to hundredth and thousandth generations….. what more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people?” The expedition that Jefferson initiated to explore the chosen country is a fascinating subject. This Web site will help you learn more about the Lewis & Clark expedition and may give you a greater appreciation for our great country, as well.
