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The event begins at noon with
the dedication of the Illinois Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
Commission plaques at the Lopinot Memorial Wedge, at the
intersection of Route 3 and Highway 157. Illinois Lewis and Clark
Bicentennial Commission Chairman Dr. Dale Chapman will be the
featured speaker. One of the plaques memorializes the Lewis and
Clark Expedition's ties to Cahokia and contains the following text:
On December 7, 1803,
William Clark and several recruits landed at Cahokia, a town of
about 700 residents. Meriwether Lewis was on the road to St.
Louis to meet with the Spanish Governor. Two local men, Nicholas
Jarrot and John Hay, went with him as translators. The Spanish
official would not allow them to ascend the Missouri River. They
decided to build their winter camp in Illinois. The party left
Cahokia on December 10, but often returned for supplies, mail
and news.
The other plaque addresses the
local story:
Cahokia was Lewis and
Clark's host community for much of their six month stay in
Illinois. Meriwether Lewis was often found in Cahokia on
expedition business through the winter of 1803-04. During this
important period of preparation, Lewis spent considerable time
at Cahokia Courthouse, the political and communications center
for the region, and at Holy Family Parish Church, the
community's religious and social center.
The formal opening and
dedication of the new exhibit, "Cahokia's Territorial Post Office --
Est. 1801" will be at 1 p.m. at Cahokia Courthouse. Dr. Chapman will
also be the featured speaker at this event.
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This exhibit interprets
Cahokia as the communications link for the
Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 1803 to May 1804, when they
were established at their nearby winter camp. New signs, period
postal furniture and equipment tell the story of how the early U.S.
Postal Service linked a country of far-flung settlements together in
a communication system hailed by the young country's statesmen,
intellectuals, publishers and citizens as "one of the greatest
accomplishments of the new federal government."
A portrayer of John
Hay, Cahokia's first territorial postmaster, will be on hand to
answer questions and demonstrate how early American postmasters did
their work. Refreshments will follow the dedication.
A special pictorial
cancellation will be offered in the Cahokia Courthouse's period
postal station from 2 to 4 p.m. Collectors and enthusiasts are
welcome to bring letters or postcards to be hand-cancelled with a
commemorative U.S. Postal Service cancellation stamp. This stamp
recognizes the Cahokia Courthouse as the post office that served
Lewis and Clark's "Corps of Discovery" in 1803-1804.
Frank Bergmann, mayor of
Cahokia, is the honorary host for the day's activities.
Cahokia Courthouse State
Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency, was built in 1737 as a French residence and from 1793 to
1814 was the center of judicial and political activity in the
Northwest Territory. It is located just off state Routes 3 and 157
in Cahokia and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. for free public tours.
[Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency
news release] |
