III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 315 

To commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival of Lewis and 

Clark at the Pacific Ocean. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2005 

Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. WYDEN, and Mrs. MURRAY) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

To commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival 

of Lewis and Clark at the Pacific Ocean. 

Whereas, on January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson 

began an extraordinary journey by sending a secret message to Congress requesting approval and funding to establish the ‘‘Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery’’ to explore the most direct and practical water 

route across the continent of the United States all the 

way to the Pacific Ocean; 

Whereas, on May 14, 1804, the journey up the Missouri 

River and across the vast and newly acquired Louisiana 

Territory began at Camp Dubois, Illinois, led by Captain 

Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark; 
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•SRES 315 ATS

Whereas after a long year and a half and 4,133 arduous 

miles, the expedition endured a dangerous storm of wind, 

rain, and waves for 6 days at Clark’s Dismal Nitch; 

Whereas, on November 13, 1805, the Corps of Discovery 

moved further west to Station Camp and beheld their 

first comprehensive view of the Pacific Ocean, and thereby began the realization of the vision of President Jefferson of a country ‘‘from sea to shining sea’’; 

Whereas Station Camp also marks the occurrence of a historical democratic vote to determine where to stay for winter 

that included all members of the expedition, including 

Sacagawea, an Indian woman, and York, an African 

American slave; 

Whereas, on November 19, 1805, Clark and 11 of his men 

set out on an ocean excursion, hiking 25 miles to Cape 

Disappointment to get a complete view of the Pacific 

Ocean and reach the furthest western point of the expedition; 

Whereas the expedition built their winter camp on the south 

side of the Columbia River at Fort Clatsop, Oregon, 

named in honor of the friendly local Clatsop Indians, and 

the 33 member party spent 106 days among lush oldgrowth forest, wetlands, and wildlife preparing for their 

long journey back to St. Louis, Missouri; 

Whereas Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery produced detailed journals with maps, charts, samples, and descriptions of the previously undocumented western geography, 

climate, plants, animals, and native cultures from which 

the Nation continues to benefit today; 

Whereas the Lewis and Clark Expedition marks a significant 

benchmark in American history and a crucial step in se-
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curing the claim and the eventual creation of all the 

States in the Pacific Northwest; 

Whereas the exploration of the western frontier of our fledgling Nation was the great odyssey of America, symbolic 

of the core values of teamwork, courage, perseverance, 

science, and opportunity held by the United States; 

Whereas, on October 30, 2004, President George W. Bush 

signed into law legislation creating the Lewis and Clark 

National Historical Park which preserves these 3 Washington State sites integral to the dramatic arrival of the 

expedition at the Pacific Ocean, and incorporates Fort 

Clatsop of Oregon and important State parks for the 

benefit and education of generations to come; and 

Whereas, during November 2005, Washington and Oregon 

are hosting, ‘‘Destination: The Pacific’’, a unique commemoration of the 200 year anniversary of the arrival of 

the Corps of Discovery in the Pacific Northwest: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates the bicentennial anniversary 

3 of the arrival of Lewis and Clark at the Pacific 

4 Ocean; and 

5 (2) recognizes that by exploring the unknown 

6 frontier, Lewis and Clark expanded the boundaries 

7 of our great Nation and pushed the limits of what 

8 we are capable of as citizens. 

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