[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 127 (Friday, August 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S10906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BUNNING:
  S. 1991. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of extending the 
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to include additional sites 
associated with the preparation and return phases of the expedition, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to introduce a bill to 
authorize the National Park Service to conduct a comprehensive study to 
examine the extension of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to 
include additional sites associated with the preparation or return 
phase of the expedition, commonly known as the ``Eastern Legacy.''
  On May 14, 1804, Lewis and Clark, along with the Corps of Discovery 
departed from Camp Dubois, IL, to set out on voyage that would shed 
light on a landscape that had only been considered legend at the time. 
But this American tale of adventure, determination, and curiosity did 
not begin there. The 8,000-mile, 32-month expedition through the 
uncharted West and back to Washington, DC, started more than a year 
earlier in Virginia.
  In 1803, Meriwether Lewis traveled through Maryland, Pennsylvania, 
Virginia, and West Virginia purchasing supplies and learning everything 
he could about botany, paleontology, navigation, and field medicine. 
The intrepid explorer and his growing crew then traveled down the Ohio 
River through Ohio and Indiana, meeting up with William Clark in 
Louisville, KY. Along this rich trail are many landmarks and sites that 
serve to honor and educate about this important event in American 
history.
  Whether it is commemorating the American spirit or teaching about the 
early Republic, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is an 
enduring resource for education. A sea-to-sea trail would make it the 
largest and longest trail in the National Park System, guiding visitors 
from across the Nation to all parks and interpretive centers.
  This extension, a few years after the successful bicentennial 
celebration, will continue to raise the profile of the Lewis and Clark 
Trail and increase the potential for tourism revenue in States across 
the country. Including the eastern portion of the trail will garner 
greater Lewis and Clark interest east of the Mississippi and bring 
unity to this American expedition of East meeting West.
                                 ______