A December picture of Arlington National Cemetery, in a blanket of snow with green wreaths with red bows placed at each veteran’s grave, was the genesis of Honor and Respect. Lewis and Clark Veterans and Tribal People that aided the exploration deserve recognition at their widespread burial sites. A simple picture was the initial inspiration.
The first year Ed Hamilton’s Bronze Statue of York, Willaim Clark’s enslaved servant, was the only expedition member that received a wreath. However, after several years, V. F. W. Posts, American Legion Posts, libraries, interpretive centers, and individuals are assisting with a wreath laying at the final resting place of Lewis and Clark Expedition members and Tribal People linked to the epic story. The Tribal respect includes Day Time Smoke, believed-to-be William Clark’s Nez Perce son, buried at Tonkawa Cemetery near Ponca City, OK.
The December wreath laying is an opportunity to bring greater recognition to the Lewis and Clark Veterans and the service they provided all people. The wreath laying is now on city calendars, organization planners and individual’s “To-Do List.” Unfortunately, there are burial locations that are still unrecognized or even unknown but deserving of recognition.
Please join the Lewis and Clark Trust in recognizing the Lewis and Clark Veterans and the helpful Tribal People with a wreath laying in a community where a burial site is located. Each community or group determines the degree of formality and who attends. A wreath presentation is an opportunity to preserve through education.
The pictures that follow recognize organizations and individuals that preserve the memory of the U. S. Army veterans serving in the first successful military exploration of the west, the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Jean Baptiste Charboneau, Inskip Station, Malheur Co. ID
Credit: Julie Rittenberry, Boise, ID
Credit: Paul Zuros, Old Fort Steuben, Steubenville, OH
York, Louisville Belvedere, Louisville, KY
Honoring York, Pictured: Jim Holmberg, Ed Hanilton, Bernadette Hamilton, Jerry Robertson, Linda Robertson, Linda Keith, Jim Keith, & Paula Mallory
Credit: Lewis and Clark Trust
William Bratton, Old Pioneer Cemetery, Waynetown, IN
Credit: Amie Cox, Bratton Descendant
Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks, Ivy VA
Credit: Alexandria Searls and Malou Stark Dichtel
Reuben Lewis, Ivy, VA
Credit: Alexandria Searls and Malou Stark Dichtel
Nathaniel Pryor, Graham Cemetery, Pryor, OK
Credit: Cari Rerat and Scott McCall
Veterans Memorial Park, Atchison, KS
Credit: Karen Seaberg
John Shield, Little Flock Cemetery, Harrison County, IN (38.073484 -85.978272)
Credit: Lewis and Clark Trust
Haláx túuqit (Daytime Smoker) , Tonkawa Cemetery, OK
Credit: The Ponca City News
https://www.poncacitynews.com/news/nez-perce-tribe-recognized-wreaths-across-america-event
Sgt. Charles Floyd, Floyd Monument, Sioux City, IA
Credit: Jeff Troupe, Member of Charles Floyd Honor Guard
Alexander Willard, Franklin Cemetery, Elk Grove, Ca
Credit: Louis Silveira
John Colter, near New Haven, MO
Credit: Larry Boschen, David Cain and Larry Kluesner
Meriwether Lewis, Lewis Site, Natchez Trace Parkway, TN
Credit: Crystal Nash
William Clark, Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, MO
Credit: David Cain (pictured) Larry Boschen, and Larry Kluesner
George Shannon, Memorial Marker, Court House, Palmyra, MO
Credit: Kay Ellis