SEAL  

MEDIA ADVISORY
FROM
THE LOUISIANA STATE EXHIBIT MUSEUM

 		 
  Louisiana Department of State
Louisiana State Exhibit Museum
P. O. Box 38356
Shreveport, LA 71133 		CONTACT: Mary Zimmerman
TEL:  318/632-2020
FAX:  318/632-2056
EMAIL:  LSEM@sos.louisiana.gov 		 
 

Date:January 18, 2005


Discovering the Rivers of Lewis & Clark

Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen proudly announces the engagement of a new exhibition at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Discovering the Rivers of Lewis & Clark. The exhibit will be on view from January 30, 2005 through April 6, 2005, with an opening reception on Sunday, January 30, at 2:00 p.m. that will be free and open to the public. American Rivers created the exhibition in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The History Channel, and the Dibner Fund. The exhibit tells the story of Lewis & Clark’s legendary river trip, and the natural wonders they discovered for science. It describes how people later altered the Missouri, Yellowstone, Snake and Columbia rivers.

The exhibit includes:
  • Spectacular photographs and vivid narrative, covering the length of the Lewis & Clark from St. Louis to the Pacific.
  • A reproduction of the prow of the famous explorers’ keelboat that children can climb on, surrounded by a mural showing the Missouri River as Lewis & Clark saw it.
  • A mini-theater showing two video shorts by The History Channel.
  • Two iMac computers that run four hours of interactive content.
  • Three audio stations on which visitors can hear voices of the past and the present.
The exhibit is designed to enhance public interest in river conservation and to encourage citizen involvement in key decisions affecting the future of the rivers traveled by our famous explorers. Visitors to the exhibit will walk the length of the Lewis & Clark Trail, from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, learning as they go about the rich river life that the explorers encountered during their great expedition at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Visitors will also learn the "Big Muddy" - the Missouri- and the other rivers they traveled from 1803 to 1806, the Yellowstone, Snake, and Columbia, and how these rivers were harnessed for human uses by means of channeling and dams and to protect the native wildlife. Moreover, visitors will find inspiration in stories of communities now developing environmentally and economically sound river fronts.

The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is under the tenure of Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen. Museum hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m.. until 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m.. Admission fees will be charged for adults and students. Children 5 years old and under will be admitted free. All scheduled school tours are free. All admission fees are waived on first Sundays. The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is handicap accessible and parking is free.

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