Page 7 - 2003 DT 12 Issues

Lewis and Clark ○ ○ interested in science, as was his mentor. Borlaug, then-President of the Council,
Bicentennial, 2003-2006 ○ ○ To accompany him, ostensibly as joint told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that
○ leader, he chose Lt William Clark. That the mission of the Council was not only
by Dan Wray ○
this was Lewis’ intention is evidenced ○ to commemorate the expedition, but to
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○ by the fact that he requested a captain- ○ “re-kindle its spirit of discovery and ac-
o quote the Mission Statement of ○ ○ ○
the National Lewis and Clark Bi- ○ ship for his companion a—captainship ○ ○ claim the contributions and goodwill of
○ which, though thoroughly deserved, the native peoples.”
Tcentennial Council, “The Lewis ○ ○
○ never materialized. ○ The celebrations—which will span
and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 was ○ ○ ○
a major event that shaped the boundaries ○ ○ The expedition was a year in plan- ○ four years—will commence, fittingly, at
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and the very future of the United States.” ○ ○ ning. Lewis’ design for his boats was a ○ Monticello, where Jefferson’s “Indian
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In the early 1800s, the fledgling ○ ○ disaster and re-planning at their St Louis ○ Hall” will be re-created to tell the story
states were under pressure from England ○ base was necessary. ○ ○ of the expedition. Nationwide events
The actual journey began on May ○ and projects are also planned. The
14, 1804 at Wood River, Illinois and ○ ○ eleven states along the line of the expe-
ended with their return to St Louis, ○ dition—Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas,
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Missouri on September ○ Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota,
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23, 1806. Although the ex- ○ Montana, Idaho, Washington and Or-
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pedition failed to find a ○ egon—are all planning re-enactments in
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route entirely by water, it ○ conjunction with the Circle of Tribal Ad-
and France amassed a staggering ○ visors. Educational programs will cover
in the North and Spain in the amount of information on ○ ○ topics such as the stewardship of the
South. It was vital that expansion the flora and fauna along ○ ○ natural, cultural, and historic resources
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westwards should not be blocked and that their route and on the Native Americans ○ along the route of the expedition.
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a route from east to west be found. ○ they encountered; 178 new plants and ○ Lewis and Clark fans or anyone in-
On January 18, 1803, President ○ ○ 122 previously unknown animals were ○ ○ terested can obtain further details on the
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Jefferson obtained an appropriation of ○ carefully recorded and annotated. ○ ○ Internet by logging on to
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$2,500 to finance an expedition, the pur- ○ In 1993, the Lewis and Clark Soci- ○ bicentennial@lewisandclark200.org. I
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pose of which was to find a route by water. ○ ○ ety established a Bicentennial Council, ○ am indebted to Ruth Mysiak, Member
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To lead the expedition he chose his secre- ○ ○ which has been planning how the bicen- ○ of the Bicentennial Council, for some of
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tary, Captain Meriwether Lewis. ○ ○ tennial of both the expedition and the ○ the information in this article. ;
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Lewis, born of a well to-do South- ○ Louisiana Purchase should be cel- ○
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ern family, was a meticulous man and ○ ebrated. In January 2000, David ○ ○
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from what is now northern Nevada to ○ “Big Bonanza.” The railroad, now ○ The V&T was bought in 1976 by Rob-
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Grass Valley, California to be assayed. ○ called the Virginia and Truckee Rail- ○ ert Gray, a California businessman, and
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The news was electric. Silver! High- ○ ○ road, became both the richest and the ○ it now runs excursion trains. The Ne-
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grade silver! Adventurers, miners, ○ “crookedest short line in America.” It ○ vada State Railroad Museum in Carson
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drifters, businessmen—anyone with the ○ was vital to the mining operations. The ○ City has some of the finest examples
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desire to get rich rushed to the incred- ○ V&T made $400,000 a month carrying ○ ○ of the old V&T rolling stock, “Genoa,”
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ibly rich Comstock Lode and what ○ freight and passengers. As much as ○ (Engine #12), “Dayton,” and the “J.W.
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became Virginia City. Ore had to be ○ 40,000 tons of freight was carried each ○ Bowker.”
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moved. Enter the railroad. In 1861, the ○ month by 40 trains a day. It was big ○ So much can be written about the
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first railroad charter was granted to the ○ money for the V&T, but even more for ○ great days of the railroads in Nevada,
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Virginia, Carson and Truckee Railroad ○ John Mackay and other owners of the ○ and the West. Much of the story be-
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Company. Good and bad times followed, ○ mine . . . one million dollars a month! ○ ○ longs to history now, but interest is so
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with the railroad’s fortunes tied to the ○ But just like mining, the railroads ○ keen and the lure of that “lonesome
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mines. By 1870, it appeared that the ○ ○ had their ups and downs. Only six years ○ whistle” so strong, that just recently a
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Comstock’s silver and gold was running ○ later, the great strike was running out, ○ special train from Los Angeles brought
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dry. Then, in May 1873, came an enor- ○ ○ with just 52,000 tons carried in all of ○ passengers to Las Vegas, the first time
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mous strike at Mackay and Fair’s ○ 1879. By 1938, the V&T announced it ○ a passenger train had arrived in Las
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Consolidated Virginia Mine. It was the was shutting down. Dead for good? No. ○ ○ Vegas in five years. ;
FORRC/January, 2003 Page 7