by John R. Goss, DNR Director
Important events before photography are chronicled in oil on canvas. You can see these paintings in art and history museums.
But you won't find a legitimate Kodak moment of Meriwether Lewis & William Clark getting into boats on the Ohio River.
You could, however, take a photo of your sons and daughters standing on the porch of the re-created home of William's brother, George Rogers Clark, near the Falls of the Ohio State Park. The park is located west of I-65, exit 0, at 201 West Riverside Drive, Clarksville, Ind.
Maybe this photo-memory will trigger something in your children to explore history, like the girls from Corydon in this photo above. They asked photographer Rich Fields to snap a picture with their cameras, then posed as he made one for us.
In a year, the Falls area will sponsor the second of only 10 national events in the Lewis & Clark bicentennial commemorative celebration, Oct. 24-26, 2003.
The 2003 Lewis and Clark River Festival will include participation by the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band of Ohio, historical reenactments, exhibits, Corps of Discovery II, cultural events, and educational activities.
Planning and enthusiasm has been building in the Falls area for years, and many local groups and people have helped bring the past alive for your children and countless others.
A list of sponsors and an outline of what's been happening is on the Web at www.fallsoftheohio.org/lewisandclark.html.
The enthusiasm will continue to build as area attractions and cultural institutions sponsor a variety of activities, including:
-- Look for the IMAX movie Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West at the White River State Park next year.
-- The Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center is currently showing a film, The Spirit of the Land, about the Kentucky and Indiana men who were the first members to join the Lewis & Clark expedition.
-- Archaeology Day is Sept. 7 at the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center. Information, 812-280-9970, www.fallsoftheohio.org.
-- "Boats of the Lewis and Clark Expedition," a photo exhibit Sept. 20 through Dec. 15 at the Interpretive Center.
-- At the Indiana Historical Society, the exhibit "Five Unsettling Stories," includes a section on the expedition. The exhibit is Sept. 28 through Jan. 4.
More than 30 other events in the next year or so need volunteers and participants. To volunteer, call 502-292-0059 or e-mail lewisandclark@fallsoftheohio.org.
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