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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, President Thomas Jefferson selected Meriwether
3 Lewis and William Clark to be co-leaders of an expedition to
4 explore the Missouri and Columbia rivers; and
5 WHEREAS, Lewis and Clark staged their epic journey at the
6 confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in
7 December, 1803; and
8 WHEREAS, They camped for the winter at the mouth of the
9 Wood River on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River,
10 opposite the entrance to the Missouri River; and
11 WHEREAS, The 2 captains recruited young woodsmen and
12 enlisted soldiers who volunteered from nearby army outposts,
13 selecting a roster of approximately 45 men for the
14 expedition; and
15 WHEREAS, Meriwether Lewis recorded that the mouth of the
16 Wood River was "to be considered the point of departure" for
17 one of the most important journeys into the American West;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, The bicentennial of this monumental expedition
20 will be observed beginning in 2003; therefore, be it
21 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
23 express our support that the site near Wood River, Illinois
24 be recognized as the starting point for the Lewis and Clark
25 Expedition; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That we call upon the People of the State of
27 Illinois to recognize this site as one of monumental
28 historical impact; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That we call upon the Governor, the Director of
30 the Historic Preservation Agency, other public officials, and
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1 the People of the State of Illinois to support and promote
2 this site as the starting point for one of the greatest
3 journeys in American history; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5 delivered to the Governor and the Director of the Historic
6 Preservation Agency.
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