| Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail | |
|
IUCN Category V (Protected
Landscape/Seascape)
|
|
 |
|
| Location | IL, MO, KS, IA, NE, SD, ND, MT, ID, OR, and WA, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Billings, MT |
| Coordinates | 46°0′13″N 108°0′34″W / 46.00361°N 108.00944°WCoordinates: 46°0′13″N 108°0′34″W / 46.00361°N 108.00944°W |
| Area | 51 acres (206,000 m²) |
| Established | March 21, 1978 |
| Visitors | 250,000 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is part of the National Trails System of the United States. In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began a voyage of discovery with 45 men, a keelboat, two pirogues, and a dog. They departed from Camp Dubois, located in what was to become the U.S. state of Illinois.
President Thomas Jefferson had long dreamed of what lay to the west of the young United States – the animals, plants, and minerals, and a route for eastern trade. The President had privately requested Congress to fund the expedition shortly before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lewis and Clark were ordered to write accounts of all they did, each species encountered, details of cultures they met, maps of the land—everything. They traveled over a three-year period through lands that later became 11 states.
Most of the trail follows the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. Much has changed in 200 years but trail portions remain intact. At 3,700 miles (5,950 km), the trail is the second longest of the 23 National Scenic and National Historic Trails. It begins at Hartford, Illinois, and passes through portions of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
The official headquarters for the trail is located at the National Park Service, Mid-West Regional Headquarters, in Omaha, Nebraska. The visitor center features exhibits about the explorers and their historic trip, as well as information about sites along the trail.
Lewis forms one part of an island in the Outer Hebrides. Harris forms the southern third of the same island. In former times (up to 1970s) Lewis and Harris were in separate counties, which may explain the dual names.
Ness is in the north part of the island, and is inhabited almost exclusively by incomers, the west coast is known as the West side. Uig is in the far west bordering Harris and Lochs is in the South. Point is the peninsula to the east of Stornoway and Back is directly to the north of Stornoway on the east coast.
Religion still plays an important part in many people’s lives. In Lewis and Harris this is often in the form of Protestant Free Presbyterian Churches. As a result the Sabbath (Sunday) is respected, so you are unlikely to find shops etc open on a Sunday. Activities happening on a Sunday often are opposed locally.
The Gaelic language and culture is appealing. At a practical level this means that place names on road signs are in Gaelic, but the bus timetables use the English names! Gaelic is widely spoken, but locals are happy to change to English if a visitor joins the conversation.
Caledonian MacBrayne, [1]. The national ferry service. Citylink coaches generally connect with the ferries on the mainland. Details below are for Summer 2006:
There are good bus services during the day Mon - Sat, but little in the evening and no buses on a Sunday. Western Isles bus timetables [2].
There are many fine sandy beaches, mainly on the Western side.
See Stornoway for accommodation there. More rural places are listed here.
Some can be found on the tourist board website [8], but many are no longer listed due to the charges and "hassle".
Renting a house for a week or more is a popular option. Such places are generally let from Saturday to Saturday. Some of these can be found on the tourist board website [10].
Don't visit the Cearns district.
| This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow! |
Category: Outline articles
|
|
Wikis
Search
