» posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 by Linda Lou Burton
Hit The Trail
Linda Burton posting from Arkadelphia, Arkansas – Sacagawea was the original backpacker. She just slapped that little baby Pomp onto her back and struck out across the hills. The only female in the (likely) crude and smelly crew of Men on a Mission for the President, she trekked westward with skill and patience, all the while nursing a baby and nurturing them all. Reckon she ever thought she’d be famous? With a statue of herself and her baby in Statuary Hall in our national capitol? And that she and Pomp would be portrayed on a US Treasury gold dollar? (The only baby featured on a coin, by the way.) I love the story of this woman, who has more schools and creeks and monuments named to her honor than any other woman in the United States. That’s why I am particularly honored myself to have my picture of her statue featured on a US National Park poster. No fooling! Ryan Cooper, a geographer for the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, asked my permission to use a photo from my August 27, 2012 blog, He Called Her Janey, written while I was in Bismarck, North Dakota. “I want to use it on a poster celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016,” he explained. I was pleased to grant him that permission. And I am pleased to share with you the poster he created. Isn’t it great?
Ryan’s 2016 Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail campaign is available for you to follow on Facebook and other social media. And to learn more about this 3,700-mile trail that passes through 11 states and includes more than 100 sites, go to the NPS website, https://www.nps.gov/lecl/planyourvisit/directions.htm How close is the site nearest you?
Read about this amazing adventure that was so crucial to the overall settlement of the United States. Learn your history. An eye-opener! Then strap on your backpack (toting baby or Ben-Gay, according to your personal situation) and Hit the Trail. I include links to all the stuff you need to know to plan a great trip.
Visitor Center at Trail Headquarters
For general trail information and trip planning, visit or contact the National Park Service Lewis and Clark National Trail Headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Visitor center, exhibits, and bookstore are located at Trail headquarters.
Visitor Centers Along the Trail
Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Iowa
Nebraska
South Dakota
North Dakota
Montana
Idaho
Washington
Oregon
Visitor Centers in Eastern Legacy States
West Virginia
Virginia
Kentucky
Indiana
Tennessee
Join the Conversation
Read other Capital Cities USA posts about the legacy of Sacagawea, Baby Pomp, Meriwether Lewis, and William C Clark. (Photo below, the North Dakota statue in Statuary Hall, Washington, DC)
Mother First, May 13, 2012, Boise, ID, a Mother’s Day tribute to Sacajawea, the mother, recognized by Idaho businesswomen as the “Idaho’s First Professional Woman.” https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=1671#more-1671
Rocky Mountain Roads, August 2, 2012, Helena, MT, when I crossed the Clark River 16 times in one day. https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=2663#more-2663
Now and Then, August 12, 2012, Helena, MT, when I followed the Trail on the Missouri River through Gates of the Mountains on a boat. More great photos. https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=2965#more-2965
Pomp, and Circumstances, August 16, 2012, Montana, about the landmark William Clark named for baby Pomp. https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=3063#more-3063
He Called Her Janey, August 27, 2012, Bismarck, ND, when I learned that William C Clark affectionately called Sacagawea Janey. https://capitalcitiesusa.org/?p=3700#more-3700
By the strangest quirk of fate I now live in Clark County, Arkansas; named after William C, who went from exploring for President Jefferson to serving as Governor of Missouri Territory, which included present-day Arkansas. The name of Meriwether Lewis comes up frequently here too. Meriwether Lewis Randolph was a grandson of Thomas Jefferson, who chose his grandson’s name to honor that successful explorer. President Jackson appointed Meriwether Randolph as Secretary of Arkansas Territory in 1835; a position he held through the transition to statehood. Randolph died of malaria in 1837 and was buried on his land at Terre Noir, Clark County, Arkansas, leaving behind a son, Lewis Jackson Randolph.