Join us for the Finale @ the Historic Hoosier Theatre, December 3rd @ 4pm.
Please text Brack a picture all your keys and bring them on the 3rd.

Imagine ... it's post American Revolution. It's post Constitution. It's Thomas Jefferson and this new republic has him anxious about the possibilities in store for this country. Among his continued work toward establishing "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" apart from British rule, he has a head full of "could be's." One of those visions was an all-water trade and travel route from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

It's almost hard to imagine that a coast to coast route of nicely black-topped road did not exist a short 225 years ago. So, Jefferson did not have Google Maps, he did not have a print-off from Mapquest, he didn't even have a Rand McNally Atlas of the States. No one did. Much of the west was only "claimed" by other countries; the French, the Spanish, the British. Indiana wasn't yet Indiana. No one had a detailed knowledge of getting from Point A on the Pacific to point B on the Atlantic. America as a whole was unknown to most everyone, including the natives.

Wikipedia - Meriwether Lewis portrait by Charles Wilson Peale So, he and his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis began plans for the "The Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery" or "Corps of Discovery", which much later became known as the "Lewis and Clark Expedition." Its main purpose was to find that route connecting the East and West coasts. But why go that far just to connect "sea to shining sea"? Jefferson and Lewis made it a point to include gathering knowledge about the plants, the animals, the hydrology, and the native tribes of the "unexplored" west.

This journey did not start with "a single step" and actually only started with Lewis and a small crew. It started by keelboat in Pittsburgh on August 31, 1803. Journals puts Meriwether Lewis arriving in Clarksville, Indiana on October 14, 1803. This would have him passing by Vevay around the 7th, as the 70 mile distance could be done in about a week. He met up with his co-captain, William Clark while in Clarksville, Indiana to gather supplies and more men. From Clarksville on is where most of the story-worthy parts of the journey occurred. It took them 2 years, 4 months and 10 days to travel approximately 7689 miles.

There isn't room here to recreate the Expedition's stories, but if you have time, research a few of my favorite shorts from the mission. They include:

• the role natives (the Sioux, Shoshone, Clatsop, etc) played in the success of the Expedition.
• the name York, his ugly relationship with Clark, and the role he played.
• "Seaman" and his role to ensure the safety of the crew.

After reading further, you'll quickly find no references to Vevay or Switzerland County whatsoever. Indirectly, though, the Lewis & Clark Expedition caused greater expansion west, which did bring more settlers to our area. But before that, the groundwork was being laid by the Dufour's and existing settlers, and I can imagine a spattering of folks along the banks waving (aaannnddd possibly readying their protections ) as the beginnings of this famous mission passed by.

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References:

https://history.army.mil/LC/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark%27s_keelboat

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Other Lingering Questions:

So who were York and Seaman, anyways?