The regional meeting in Cumberland Gap was held November 5–7, 2010 and hosted by the Ohio River Chapter with support from the Home Front, Carolina, National Capital and Philadelphia Chapters.
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis, Clark, and Sheheke.
Friday, November 5—A reception at Pine Mountain Resort State Park featured much conviviality and included the introduction of several attendees such as National Park Service personnel from Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, tribal members from the Piqua Shawnee, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation chapter members and special contributors in particular Wayne Bussell for his generous gifts and Home Front Chapter members Anne Tufts and Malou Stark-Dichtel for their substantial efforts on behalf of the Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America.. Chuck Felts of the Kentucky Association of Professional Surveyors made giveaway prizes available for winning ticket holders and a silent auction was conducted to benefit the Wellness Challenge Program. Danny Hinton in the guise of Dr. Thomas Walker told of Walker’s accomplishments and life experiences. In the guise of Joanny Infoseed, Lorna Hainesworth informed the group about the survey conducted by Meriwether Lewis at Cumberland Gap on November 23, 1806 with regard to the accuracy of the boundary line drawn by Walker between what later became the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. This event formed the basis for the meeting.
Saturday, November 6—Started with a visit to the Cumberland Gap NHS Visitor Center followed by a hike through the Cumberland Gap. At the conclusion of the hike, meeting attendees gathered at the Wilderness Road parking lot to commemorate Lewis’s survey with the dedication of a wayside marker and a surveyors monument. The ceremony included a re-enactment of Lewis’s survey by Bryant Boswell while surveyors Bart Crattie and Robert Cagle explained 1806 surveying techniques and equipment. Special guests at the dedication included Cub Scouts from Pack 160 who unveiled the marker and Dempsey Miracle who provided satellite readings for the location of the monument. Under the leadership of Chief Gary Hunt, tribal members from the Piqua Shawnee honored all attending veterans and then conducted a very moving smoke and prayer ceremony with full attendee participation. A Public Meeting at the CGNHP Visitor Center concerning the extension of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail to include the Eastern Legacy sites followed this. In the evening, after a delicious buffet dinner at Pine Mountain Resort State Park, meeting attendees were treated to a talk about “Discovery” by Jim Holmberg, Curator of Special Collections at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sunday, November 7—After gathering at the CGNHP Visitor Center, everyone caravanned to the Wilderness State Park near Ewing, VA for a visit to Martin’s Station. Billy Heck, the director of the park who also portrays Joseph Martin, met the group. A film showing the origins of Martin’s Station and its role in opening the West was viewed followed by a tour of the buildings and grounds. Several re-enactors were on hand to demonstrate blacksmithing and to explain frontier life at the station. Some members of the group then traveled to the Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site under the direction of Andy Teasley. Here in 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker erected the first cabin built in Kentucky.
Gallery
