[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16149-16150]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK DESIGNATION ACT OF 2004

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Neugebauer). Under a previous order

[[Page 16150]]

of the House, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. GOODE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that H.R. 3819, the Lewis and 
Clark National Historic Park Designation Act of 2004, passed the House 
earlier today.
  From Jamestown to the Cumberland Gap, Virginia has been a land of 
pioneers. Virginians have explored the New World and established 
America, and two of her most adventurous sons are Meriwether Lewis and 
William Clark.
  While the western trail of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is well-
recognized, less known is the route taken in the preparation phase and 
return phase of the expedition. I thank my colleagues for joining me in 
support of H.R. 3819 and in recognition of the Eastern Legacy of the 
Lewis and Clark Expedition during this bicentennial commemoration.
  On January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent a confidential 
letter to Congress requesting an appropriation of $2,500 to fund an 
expedition of exploration to the Pacific Ocean by route of the Missouri 
and Columbia Rivers with the hope of discovering a continuous water 
passage to the Pacific for the purpose of commerce. It was from 
Monticello that Jefferson conceived this idea, and he chose Captain 
Meriwether Lewis to lead the exploration. Thus began what would become 
the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
  On March 15, 1803, Meriwether Lewis left the President's House in 
Washington, D.C. and began preparations for his adventures toward the 
Pacific. He stopped at the arsenal in Harper's Ferry with an 
authorizing letter from the Secretary of War and purchased items. He 
proceeded to Philadelphia, where he studied a wide range of scientific 
topics. Lewis returned to Washington when he wrote to Captain William 
Clark to enlist his aid and to share command of the expedition.
  In Pittsburgh, Lewis had a keelboat constructed and recruited boatmen 
to man the vessel that would enable him and Clark to make the long 
journey. Preparations for the expedition, beginning at Monticello and 
ending in Wood River, Illinois and the return phase beginning in St. 
Louis and ending in Washington, D.C., included visiting sites in ten 
States in the East. These States include Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and 
Illinois, as well as the District of Columbia.
  Currently, no sites visited in these States are recognized as Lewis 
and Clark National Historic Landmarks nor are they locations along the 
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. I am pleased that Title II of 
H.R. 3819 implements a study that begins the process towards obtaining 
recognition for these sites east of the Mississippi.
  On January 18, Jefferson's Monticello hosted the commencement of the 
National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration that will continue 
through 2006. This was the first signature event of the Lewis and Clark 
Bicentennial, and hopefully, once the study has been completed, the 
National Park Service will designate Monticello and other parts of the 
Eastern Legacy as official Lewis and Clark trail sites.
  I believe that it is appropriate to include the route followed by 
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, whether independently or together, 
in the preparation and return phases of the expedition. The Eastern 
Legacy should rightfully be included in the Lewis and Clark National 
Historic Trail. H.R. 3819 is a positive step towards properly 
recognizing and honoring the Eastern Legacy of the Lewis and Clark 
Expedition.

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