Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
| Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Ohio,Illinois,Missouri,Kansas,Iowa,Nebraska,South Dakota,North Dakota,Montana,Idaho,Oregon,andWashingtonin the United States |
| Coordinates | 41°0′0″N96°0′0″W/ 41.00000°N 96.00000°W |
| Established | November 10, 1978 |
| Visitors | 250,000 (in 2004) |
| Administrator | National Park Service |
| Website | www |
Lewis and Clark Trail | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Highway system | |
TheLewis and Clark National Historic Trailis a route across theUnited Statescommemorating theLewis and Clark Expeditionof 1804 to 1806. It is part of theNational Trails Systemof the United States. It extends for some 4,900 miles (7,900 km) fromPittsburgh, Pennsylvania,to the mouth of theColumbia RiverinOregon.
The trail is administered by theNational Park Service,but sites along the trail are managed by federal land management agencies, state, local, tribal, and private organizations. The trail is not a hiking trail, but provides opportunities for hiking, boating and horseback riding at many locations along the route. The trail is the continuously longest of the 30 National Scenic and National Historic Trails.
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 4,900 miles (7,900 km) long, extending fromPittsburgh, Pennsylvaniato the mouth of the Columbia River, near present-dayAstoria, Oregon.It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition as well as the preparatory section from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania toCamp DuboisatWood River, Illinois.The Trail connects 16 states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon) and many tribal lands. It is administered by the National Park Service.[1]
Features
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The official headquarters for the trail is located at the National Park Service Midwest Regional Headquarters, inOmaha, Nebraska.The visitor center features exhibits about the explorers and their historic trip, as well as information about sites along the trail.
A highway driving route approximates the path taken by theLewis and Clark Expeditionin 1804–06, betweenSt. Louis, Missouriand thePacific OceanatAstoria, Oregon.Like theGreat River Road,it is marked along existing roadways, in this case mostly paralleling theMissouriandColumbiarivers. Roads followed includeInterstate 29 in Iowa,the appropriately-numberedSD 1804,ND 1804,SD 1806,andND 1806,andWashington State Route 14.Two separate routes of the trail are signed between St. Louis andEast Fairview, North Dakota,one on each side of the Missouri. InWashington,it is called the Lewis and Clark Trail Highway and is astate scenic byway.[2]TheWashington State Legislaturedesignated it as a named highway corridor in 1955, originally fromVancouvertoClarkston,and later expanded it to include most state highways along the Columbia River fromCape Disappointmentto Clarkston.[3]
History
[edit]In 1948 the National Park Service proposed a "Lewis and Clark Tour-way" along theMissouri RiverfromSt. LouistoThree Forks, Montana.Later,Jay "Ding" Darlingproposed the development of the expedition route as a recreational trail. Following a 1966 report by theBureau of Outdoor Recreation,theNational Trails System Actof 1968 listed the route for study as a possibleNational Scenic Trail.The Lewis and Clark Trail Commission published its report in 1969 and identified the route and recreation opportunities.[4]
In 1978 the law was amended by the National Parks and Recreation Act to provide for a new category of trail,National Historic Trails,one of which was to be the Lewis and Clark trail.[5]
From 2003 to 2006, the National Park Service commemorated the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the Corps of Discovery II traveling exhibit.[6]
The 2019John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Actextended the Trail an additional 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Wood River, Illinois.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Frequently Asked Questions - Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)".www.nps.gov.National Park Service.Retrieved18 May2019.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^"Washington Scenic Byways Map"(PDF).Washington State Department of Transportation.RetrievedJune 11,2018.
- ^"RCW 47.22.020: Lewis and Clark Highway".Revised Code of Washington.Washington State Legislature.RetrievedOctober 4,2021.
- ^Lewis and Clark Trail Commission (October 1969).Final Report of the Lewis and Clark Trail Commission(Report).OCLC129076.
- ^Lewis and Clark Trail Foundation Document
- ^NPS: Summary History of Corps II
- Bassman, John H. (2009).A navigation companion for the Lewis & Clark Trail. Volume 1, History, camp locations and daily summaries of expedition activities.United States: John H. Bassman.
- National Park Service (1978).Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Comprehensive Plan for Management and Use.United States: United States Department of the Interior.
External links
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