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Young students of Lewis & Clark propose a State Dog for Missouri

2010-01-13T00:22:26-06:00

Two young fourth grade students had an original idea. Some states have state dogs, but Missouri does not have an official state dog. In Missouri, fourth graders study Missouri history and the importance of the Lewis & Clark Expedition to Missouri and the nation. These two girls focus became a state dog for Missouri based on their studies of the expedition.

So, they wrote a letter to their state representative Jason Brown of Platte City. Platte City is a little east of Leavenworth, Kansas and northwest of Kansas City. These cities were each stops on the Heart of America “A Journey Fourth” commemoration of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial in July 2004 on the Missouri River highway of Lewis & Clark.

It turns out that the bicentennial fever of 2004-2006 resulted in four new statue groups in the State of Missouri that included “Seaman,” the Newfoundland dog who accompanied Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

One by Harry Weber is on the Mississippi River banks just below the Eads Bridge in St.Louis and it was dedicated in September 2006. High water there sometime covers Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and “Seaman.” The one in St. Charles is on a little higher ground and again includes Lewis, Clark, and the dog. It is by Pat Kennedy and it was dedicated in 2003. Kansas City’s Case Park has a fine “Corps of Discovery” statue by Eugene Daub that towers above the Missouri River and also visitors to the park.

The last Missouri tribute to “Seaman” was dedicated on the Missouri State Capitol grounds in June, 2008 and is a very fine statue group that includes a user friendly dog statue that children and adults enjoy climbing on the dog’s back for photo opportunities. We think it is the best Lewis & Clark statue group in the state of Missouri or perhaps on the entire Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.

The Eugene Daub “Corps of Discovery” statue was dedicated in Kansas City in April 2000. National Lewis & Clark bicentennial leaders were in attendance including Stephen E. Ambrose, Dayton Duncan and Tex Hall. It was Missouri’s first bicentennial tribute to the Corps of Discovery.

A smaller version of the “Corps of Discovery” by Eugene Daub that was dedicated in Kansas City can also be seen in the DNR Lewis and Clark Building in Jefferson City. There a one-third scale model is in the first floor atrium and is an excellent place to view another “Seaman” and York on the back side of this 360 degree interpretation by sculptor Daub. On the front you can see Lewis & Clark and perhaps one of the finest image of Sacagawea on the entire Lewis & Clark Historic Trail. See photos below.

Representative Brown filed a bill #1271 in December 2009 proposing that the Newfoundland be named the state dog in honor of “Seaman.” So some time before the current legislative session ends in mid-May 2010, Missouri may just have a new state dog.
However, Missouri is blessed with several famous dogs and breeds like the coonhounds favored by hunters that might make this proposal a real “dog fight.”

Tonight television station KOMU (http://www.komu.com) had a very nice story that included thoughts by sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer, and we hope Lewis & Clark faithful across this great land will perhaps look to Missouri to see how this little drama plays out. Huzzah!See the KOMU link at:http://www.komu.com/satellite/SatelliteRender/KOMU.com/ba8a4513-c0a8-2f11-0063-9bd94c70b769/250910bc-80ce-0971-00ad-a113c2a07a63

News of the bill filing has also reached as far away as St. Johns, Newfoundland and a CBC St. Johns morning program podcast that I listened to today from a December 2009 interview with the congressman.

And So it Goes! Attached photos included : 1 winter scene in Jefferson City Lewis and ClarkTrailhead; 2 Harry Weber sculpture “Captains’ Return” near the St. Louis Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River. Clark is waving his hat; 3 Eugene Daub sculpture in Jefferson City; 4 Eugene Daub statue image of Sacagawea in DNR Lewis & Clark building atrium in Jefferson City;5 Discovery Expedition of St. Charles musters at “Captains’ Return” in St. Louis;6. Well known portrayer of York, Hussan Davis with Newfoundland dog at Clarksville, KY at bicentennial “The Journey Begins” event.

Jefferson City Lewis & Clark Plaza

2008-03-29T23:16:44-06:00

Please note that a new tribute to President Thomas Jefferson’s Corps of Discovery will be dedicated on Wednesday, June 4, 2008. Its official name will be the Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza. See photo summary( 5 photos) at end of second article.

Directions:
GPS (N38 34.708 W92 10.281)
Missouri State Capitol Grounds, Jefferson City, Missouri.
Cross Jefferson Street on East Capitol Avenue to view up close the new Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza. Heroic size bronze figures in a native stone and waterfall setting look out over the plaza to the Jefferson Landing and the Missouri River. Conceived by mid-Missouri sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer and funded by private commissions and contributions that also included Missouri school children’s donations—it remembers the heroes of the Corps of Discovery, and the part Missourians played in the Lewis & Clark bicentennial across America. Public transportation enhancement funds and city matching funds were used for the trailhead plaza setting.

Note in particular Lewis’s dog Seaman and the lesser known members of Lewis & Clark’s team who traveled with them in their Captain’s Mess . Also note the waterfalls and trailhead plaza design of internationally renowned landscape architect Austin Tao Associates of St. Louis. The plaza functions as a cyclists and hikers trailhead to eventually connect to the Katy Trail State Park Trail via a pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River. Check it out at dusk as the plaza and monument are bathed in light after dark .The plaza will be dedicated on June 4, 2008, exactly two hundred and four years after Lewis & Clark first traveled past the future site of Jefferson City.

My favorite is the statue of George Drouillard. I believe this is the first such work in bronze to capture his likeness, in the country. He was the nephew of the founder of Cape Girardeau, Missouri—Louis Lorimier. He was the valuable civilian guide and interpreter for the expedition with Shawnee and French Canadian bloodlines and hunting skills that also proved to be of great value.

York, William Clark’s body servant– a slave—looks out on the Missouri River with rifle in hand. He is seated and relaxed. Today’s viewer can’t deduce from his figure in bronze that he was a slave. It is true that on the journey he proved his great value and had unusual freedoms, only to return to being William Clark’s slave when they returned to St Louis in September 1806.

See the sculptor’s web page : http://www.sabratullmeyer.com for sculpture details. If you want to read more about George Drouillard, I recommend Sign Talker by James Alexander Thom or Larry E. Morris’s book The Fate of the Corps: what became of the Lewis and Clark explorers after the expedition.

World Travel Guru Arthur Frommer Visits Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza

2009-08-10T23:45:37-06:00

In July 2009 we were proud to show off the new Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza and the heroic bronze sculpture group “Corps of Discovery” to world renowned travel advisor Arthur Frommer and his wife Roberta from New York City on their visit to Missouri’s capital city.

Frommer grew up in Jefferson City and for his 80th birthday, his wife surprised him with a secret birthday trip—- whose destination wasn’t disclosed to him until they were in the taxi headed to their airport in New York—- for this trip via air to St. Louis and then AMTRAK’s “Missouri River Runner” to Jefferson City.

Their visit was chronicled on the front page of the Jefferson City News Tribune. See:
http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2009/07/17/news_local/167local11travel.txt

For the occasion Sabra Tull Meyer, the Columbia, Missouri sculptor was on hand for a special tour of her vision in bronze. The statue group is composed of Captain Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clark, York the manservant of Clark’s, and George Drouillard—the civilian guide/interpreter. Lewis’ Newfoundland retriever named Seaman is also a part of this “Captain’s Mess.” Together they passed by today’s Jefferson City on June 4, 1804 and returned on September 19, 1806 on their river highway—the Missouri River.

A good front page picture and caption are worth a thousand words! Arthur also had nice things to say about the sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer, her sculpture and his visit to Jefferson City on the Frommer Travel Show July 19,2009 podcast from NYC’s WOR radio station.

Lewis & Clark Monument Legacy Day, June 6,2009 in Jefferson City

2009-05-30T14:39:57-06:00

If you are in Jefferson City on June 6, 2009 be sure to stop by the Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza as we celebrate the first anniversary of the dedication of the “Corps of Discovery” monument. The Saturday event will start at 10:00 am and run to 4 pm. The sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer will be there to relate her story about designing a monument. Re-enactors representing the bronze figures will be there to tell their stories too! Period children’s games and a Native American story teller representing the Lakota Sioux Nation and their story.

In January 2009, Amtrak announced the winner of a Missouri train naming contest. The winning name was “Missouri River Runner” which pleased members of our local Lewis & Clark Task Force. The winner stopped for a photo opportunity by the snow covered bronze statues in the trailhead plaza just uphill from Jefferson City’s AMTRAK station. The train route between Jefferson City Hermann, Washington and New Haven, Missouri parallels the Missouri River journey of the Lewis & Clark expedition and should be of interest to Lewis & Clark faithful coming east for the 2009 anniversary of Meriwether Lewis’ death in Tennessee. Note the photo of the railroad tracks at Hermann.

In 2009 we also have a new logo with the GPS coordinates of the monument displayed on the logo. We dropped the word bicentennial as we continue to “proceed on” with a new mission. During the summer weekends docents from the task force will be at the monument to acquint visitors with the monument design details and history.

The monument and other Lewis & Clark landmarks appear in the Lewis & Clark Trail category on http://www.waymarking.com to pinpoint points of interest down to the GPS coordinates and Google map features for tech savvy modern day explorers. Use our zip code 65109 as a tool to filter the number of entries to within 30 miles of Jefferson City.

The connection to the KATY Trail via the Missouri River bridge project is proceding with the detailed design phase. Connection to the popular cycling trail is expected in 2010.

Kira Gale had asked about the portaits of Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark as Missouri Territorial Governors that hang in the nearby Missouri State Capitol, so those photos are included with the other photos. Also there is a highlight photo of the dugout canoes running the river for our 2006 “Homeward Bound event to conclude the Lewis & Clark bicentennial.

Location, Location, Location- Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza gets ready for a cheering crowd

2008-08-01T16:12:00-06:00

Those silent larger-than-life bronze statues of the Corps of Discovery stand guard over a great piece of real estate on the Missouri State Capitol grounds.

And so on September 12, 2008 with sports enthusiasts from around the world watching on international television, professional cyclists will do several laps past the statues in their trailhead park setting before the end of Tour of Missouri race segment 5 in Jefferson City.

The trailhead plaza was dedicated on June 4, and saw its first tour bus (teachers from Savannah, Georgia) arrive on June 10.

What would Lewis & Clark think of all this? Though their backs will be to the racers, I am sure they would enjoy hearing the big crowd’s roar. What a great place for travelers from over 200 years ago to be seen and remembered.

Meriwether Lewis and his dog Seaman, William Clark and his manservant York, and the great interpreter, guide and hunter George Drouillard get to be seen by a whole new group of fans.

There at the site entrance are a few bike racks for photo ops with the big statues after the day’s race is over. For those who have never seen a pro cycling race, check out the following webpage: http://www.jctourofmissouri.com/

Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza makes magazine cover feature July 2008

2008-06-26T22:33:26-06:00

We here in Jefferson City feel honored that the new Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza here just made the cover of the July issue of Rural Missouri, a statewide electric co-op publication known for its beautiful photography and journalism skills. Through the magic of the Internet, we can share it immediately with our Lewis & Clark extended family.

The July issue photographer’s image is superb, but excluded two other important members of the Corps of Discovery.
Featured in the cover photo are Lewis & Clark and the Newfoundland dog with the Capitol dome in the background.
Check it out now at: http://www.ruralmissouri.org
After July 31, 2008 you will need click on the archives features and then click on the July 2008 issue.

Also check out the photo for the electric co-op’s Youth Tour 2008 that will end up in Jefferson City . “Click” on another fine photo of the monument to enlarge. See it at: http://moyouthtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/check-out-lewis-clark-plaza.html

Soon to be on the newstands in our region, the Ozarks Mountaineer July/August issue, features the statue of George Drouillard in
Jefferson City in their Round & About the Ozarks section. George, of course, has a particular tie to Native Americans and the residents of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Locating the Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza today: a high tech solution

2008-06-17T20:18:59-06:00

Its a work in progress. However, if you want to know how to find the Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza, the Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau has a fine way today of finding just about anything a tourist might want to see in Jefferson City.

Their web-page is: http://www.visitjeffersoncity.com

Scroll down to see the map and “View Attractions”. Click on the “View Attractions.” Currently it is a numbered pinhead (9 or 10, I believe) in the Attractions or Historic Sites category pages. Check it out and zoom in or out as desired. Other features like the itinerary planner are still under development as of this date. You can eliminate some of the clutter by selecting only your primary search interest. (Attractions, Accomodations, Historic Sites etc.)

Lewis & Clark would marvel at this Internet savvy website that gets better every day. Try your hand in pinpointing attractions, historic places, accomodations, and other sights in nearby Mid-Missouri towns. Get a birds-eye view with the SATELLITE MODE or my favorite—-the HYBRID MODE. Also check out the podcasts and video clips that highlight other historic aspects of the City of Thomas Jefferson.

Another high tech aid in seeing attractions within a 100 km radius of the Trailhead Plaza is http://www.waymarking.com
It has a filter feature that allows you to select a category such as the Lewis and Clark Trail and the city’s zip code (65109) to zero-in on features right down to their GPS coordinates. How cool is that?

Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza dedication and “Corps of Discovery” statues a big success!

2008-06-06T10:30:02-06:00

The June 4th, 2008 dedication event in Jefferson City was entitled “A Journey for Generations.” The seven photos below show the completed monument and the arrival of President Thomas Jefferson in the Missouri State Capitol. The outdoor ceremony photo shows the sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer, her husband, and landscape designer Austin Tao and his family in the first row, with Lewis & Clark Singers in the background.

Visitors from the Netherlands, England, Texas, Maryland, and Virginia joined Missourians for the unveiling of the “Corps of Discovery” statues of the sculptor. They were enthusiastic about being the first to see her new artistic creation and also the landscape design of Austin Tao. The location is on truly historic ground.

The statue of President Thomas Jefferson stands outside the capitol’s south entrance. It is the work of the famed sculptor James Earl Fraser that was installed in 1927. His Lewis and Clark statues stand inside on either side of the grand staircase.
So, eighty years later “the Corps of Discovery” statues are also outdoors, and are a welcome update of the Lewis & Clark Expedition story. We feel fortunate and blessed to have them located so strategically on historic ground.

It was a festive occasion. The Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, the St. Charles Fife and Drum Corps, the Lewis & Clark Singers and the keynote speech by Thomas Jefferson (Patrick Lee) in the Capitol Rotunda added much to the event. The Native American “One with the Rivers” outdoor ceremony was also impressive.

Come see it! We have alerted the New York Times Travel section to be sure to take note of this new addition on the historic Lewis & Clark Trail. World travel guru Arthur Frommer (who in his youth was a Jefferson City resident) was also contacted and enjoyed seeing the photo of the statues with the familiar Capitol dome in the background. Our first tour group arrival at the trailhead was a group of school teachers from Savannah, Georgia on a “Westward Expansion” tour. They are shown at the monument on July 10, 2008.

The last page of the program ended with this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and
Leave a trail.” That is exactlty what happened to us on our journey of rediscovery for the Lewis & Clark bicentennial.

See Jefferson City newspaper accounts of the day at: http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/06/06/news_local/209local11lc1.txt

http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/06/06/news_local/209local11lc2.txt

See Columbia, MO newspaper account including at dusk photo at: http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Jun/20080605News007.asp

See the MissouriNet account including a YouTube video at: http://www.missourinet.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=596E5953-FEF6-91EF-A9EAC86F2FBF0F66

Trailhead Plaza Statue Installation Day

2008-05-28T00:21:41-06:00

View photo summary at end of article. (5 photos)

On Thursday, May 22, 2008 five bronze statues arrived at the trailhead plaza site and were installed. They came in a big black truck from the Crucible LLC foundry in Norman, Oklahoma. George Drouillard got to ride in the back of the truck bed ,while Lewis, Clark, York, and the dog Seaman followed in the trailer. Devoted Lewis & Clark followers will find that riding order interesting.

Their trip here drew curious stares from motorists when they were driving on various city streets and stopped at traffic lights between Norman, and the Missouri State Capitol.

So, what kind of day was it? Well, it rained all morning. The rain stopped at noon and the sun tried to peek through the clouds late in the afternoon. For a few of our local Lewis & Clark faithful who have been following this project for seven years, it was like D-Day. Our core members were all there to observe that final thrust.

The sculptor and landscape planner were there to orchestrate the work effort in the gentle rain.

In the end, after some overhead crane work, positioning, drilling, anchoring, chipping. the bronze statues looked just right in this new plaza location.

The dedication ceremonies will be fun, but our little band has already been to the top of the mountain on installation day. We’re convinced we have an awesome group of statues that tell a new story and that they are placed in an awesome location.

The clincher came at the end of the day. The sculptor, installation crew from Norman, and the landscape planner had departed as their work was done. One last photo was taken of a Parks & Recreation worker and his young daughter enjoying exploring the finished monument.

The public will get to see the full story of the new Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza when it is dedicated on June 4, 2008.
Then word-of-mouth and written opinion will determine whether it is just another ordinary group of Lewis & Clark statues, or if the scene is EXTRAORDINARY. Will it become a local curiosity or a nationally known landmark? Time will tell, but my vote is with monumental and extraordinary.

So that is why our little band of Lewis & Clark faithful will be shouting HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! for the Corps of Discovery; for sculptor Sabra Tull Meyer, for landscape planner Austin Tao, for Brookside Construction of Desoto, Missouri, for the Crucible LLC foundry installation team, and the Jefferson City Parks & Recreation crane operator. They did all that skilled work while we watched as they achieved perfection.

Our odyssey now comes to a successful conclusion on June 4, and it lasted longer than our heroes Lewis, Clark and the other members of the Corps of Discovery’s journey. Was it worth it? You bet!

As a final note, watch the Olympics telecast this summer from China. Austin Tao will be there and he has a landscape project ( Xi Dan urban plaza) there that viewers will see in the television coverage. Its a small world after all! Maybe he’ll tell those assembled in Beijing of the trailhead plaza in Jefferson City.

Water from the Missouri’s True Most Distant Source is Hand Delivered to the Mississippi

2008-03-30T11:01:39-06:00

In the mid-1890s, a Civil War Veteran, surveyor and historian known as Jacob V. Brower set out to find the true most distant source of the Missouri. Convinced it was not the spring Lewis had found as his party was ascending Lemhi Pass on 12 August 1805, Brower and his companions followed source streams of the Jefferson River, the Beaverhead and Red Rock rivers and discovered another spring more than 100 miles from the one Lewis noted. Today this spring is know as Brower’s Spring and it is recognized as being the most distant source of the Missouri.

This article describes how one Lewis & Clark enthusiast from Cherokee, Iowa, visited Brower’s Spring and then hand delivered some of it’s water to the Mississippi. Also posted in Region 7.

The article is posted via a link to our Chapter’s website. Clicking on this link should take you directly to the newsletter containing the article. Once there, you will need to scroll down to page 5 to view the article.

Ken Jutzi
CALCTHF (California Chapter of the LCTHF)
calcthf at verizon dot net
March 2008

Missouri’s Most Distanct Source is Hand Delivered to the Mississippi