Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance

Land Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge Native Peoples who have lived on this land for millennia. Their dedication to the land and their communities runs deep within the hearts of those past, present and future. This dedication encourages the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance to continue developing, among diverse communities, an understanding of and appreciation for the commitment of Native Peoples to this nation and the significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Celebrating Fifty Years!

Starting in 1964, the Lewis and Clark Trail Commission worked to identify and mark the Lewis and Clark Trail, advance public awareness of the significance of the expedition, and encourage conservation and outdoor recreation objectives along the expedition route. In 1969, the Commission issued its final report with a number of far-reaching objectives, including the establishment of one or more groups “to further the broad program developed by the Commission.” In that same year, individuals who had served on the Commission and its state committees established the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance) as the main group to succeed the Commission.

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail was established by the United States Congress in 1978 as part of the national trails system. The trail “winds nearly 4,900 miles through the homelands of more than 60 Tribal nations. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Pacific Ocean.” (Lewis & Clark NHT, National Park Service).