[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7439]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                               FORT OSAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2001

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of 
Fort Osage as a landmark identified and later developed by Meriwether 
Lewis and William Clark during the voyage of the Corps of Discovery.
  In June of 1804, the Corps of Discovery passed a high bluff on the 
Missouri River--which would later become Fort Osage in Jackson County, 
Missouri. Only four years later, Clark returned to initiate 
construction on a Fort and trading-house under the direction of the War 
Department. Clark noted ``The River could be completely defended'' and 
he deemed the ``situation elegant.''
  Fort Osage (or Fort Clark as it was originally named) played an 
important role in the exploration and development of the West. Goods 
were traded with the Osage, Ayauway and Kansas tribes at this site for 
years to come. Fort Osage proved to be the single most profitable 
trading post of its kind in the United States and the territories. We 
are indebted to the legacy of the Fort and the people who lived, worked 
and defended the Fort. Their courage had a profound effect on the 
evolution of our nation.
  As part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration, Jackson 
County Parks and Recreation is proposing an innovative education 
center. The education center would showcase artifacts and exhibit the 
significance of the Missouri River. I believe this education center is 
a wonderful addition to the commemoration and will help visitors 
understand the significance of Fort Osage. It is the only site along 
the trail where Clark returned to develop a facility that fulfilled the 
goals of President Thomas Jefferson's dream of commerce and development 
with the west.
  The significance of Fort Osage is not limited to Lewis and Clark. 
Both the Yellowstone Expedition and the Long Expedition visited the 
Fort in 1819. The Long Expedition brought the first steamboat, Western 
Engineer. Only years later, William Becknell arrived at Fort Osage, 
using the site as mile marker ``0'' for the Santa Fe trail, again 
distinguishing the importance of the Fort in relation to commerce in 
the west.
  Due to the area's historical significance, the Fort Osage Education 
Center was proposed as part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial 
Commemoration. The Education Center was recently recognized by the 
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission as the priority project in 
Missouri and I am honored to have this historical site in my district. 
I look forward to the events surrounding the bicentennial commemoration 
at Fort Osage and in other areas of the 6th District of Missouri. I 
join the Missouri Bicentennial Commission, the Missouri Department of 
Conservation and the United States Geological Survey in full support of 
the proposed Fort Osage Education Center.

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