What's New

New Features on the Site:

• Archival Guidelines, developed by the Montana Historical Society's archivist Moll Kruckenberg, are now available on-line to help answer questions related to appropriate archival procedures for the materials your group accumulated during the L&C Bicentennial.

• In an effort to let people know that quality presenters and performers are available for Lewis and Clark events and programs over the next three years, the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission sponsored a Lewis and Clark Showcase June 17-18, 2004, in Livingston, Montana. Twenty-three speakers and performers showcased their talents for organizations and communities throughout the state interested in booking Lewis and Clark programs in 2004-2006, especially in association with the communities that will host the National Park Service’s Corps of Discovery II traveling exhibit. The 49-page Lewis and Clark Performing Arts Directory is now available in a .pdf format.

• Montana will take center stage during much of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial commemoration. Nearly 25 percent of the entire L&C Trail, as well as almost half of the recognized campsites, are in Montana. So, if you're a travel writer or journalist, Big Sky Country is a great place to start. To help you do just that, this online kit is filled with information to help you brainstorm story ideas and angles, or simply fill out existing articles; just follow this Press Kit link to find out more.

• With assistance from the State of Montana’s Dept. of Transportation – Road and Mapping Section, a map of Montana has been created showing the four major events scheduled for 2005-2006, in addition to the Corps of Discovery II host community locations and dates for 2005-2006. The westbound Lewis & Clark Trail and associated events are indicated in purple; the eastbound Trail and events are shown in red. Download the map in two versions: a 3.2MB PDF good for printing on legal paper on your PC, or an 17.5 MB PDF to send to your local printer.

  Lewis & Clark in Montana
  

• Note: Plate image is trademarked and not reproducable without consent of L&C Commission.

• Montana's Lewis & Clark Bicentennial License Plate went on sale at all Montana County Title and Registration Bureaus on January 2, 2002. Plates sell for $35.00 the first year, with a $20.00 annual renewal. $20.00 net per plate sale goes to the Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission to fund the overall planning and preparation efforts of the Bicentennial statewide. There's no need to wait for your renewal and you can even have your Lewis & Clark plates personalized.

  Collector plates numbered "AAA-000" are also available for $30, which includes shipping and handling. To place your order, contact the state Commission by phone, 406-443-2109, or e-mail us at rcortright@mt.gov. We hope you will show your support for the Bicentennial and purchase commemorative plates for your vehicles. (Colors may appear slightly different from original artwork.)

• If you have an e-mail address and are interested in regular Commission updates and other communications, then you should get plugged into the state Commission's new e-mail update system. With this new system, the state Commission will distribute e-mail updates on activities, programs and alerts to anyone who has registered at the Commission's website. The system is designed to let you modify and/or cancel your e-mail registration at any time. Register now!

• The National Council of the L&C Bicentennial has announced its Bicentennial Merchandising Program. Diane Norton, president of LewisandClarkTrail.com was hired to develop this program which consists of two components - branded products such as t-shirts designed with the bicentennial logo and in some cases co-branded with state bicentennial logos, and licensed products, also with the bicentennial logo. For further details, click on Bicentennial Store. Questions should be directed to Diane Norton, P O Box 552, Yankton, SD 57078, Phone: Toll Free: 1-877-528-7245, or the National Council's office at 1-888-999-1803.

• The new Funding section includes an inventory of various Funding Programs available to aid Montanans in their planning for various projects to honor the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

• The new Education section dedicated to the growing need for Lewis & Clark related curriculums, professional development, personal development, and visitor training. The programs featured in this section will help Montanans and visitors obtain pertinent, accurate and inclusive Lewis & Clark-related education opportunities.

• Many new resource records have been added to the Resource Library. The Resource Library now holds over 50 valuable Lewis & Clark resources. The newest include speakers, museums, reference materials, and libraries.

• In order to help you "jump start" your search for good, reliable and informative Lewis & Clark material, take a look at the new Suggested Reading List located in the Reference Materials section of the Resource Library as well as the Suggested Links located in the Related Links section of the site. These annotated lists of over 25 books, 2 videos, and 12 websites attempts to combine the best of the nationally-recognized volumes, videos, and websites addressing the Lewis & Clark Expedition with items that are specific to Montana.

Commission News and Updates:

• Montana's statewide Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Master Plan is finished. The plan was developed after almost four months of information gathering and analysis under the direction of The Hingston Roach Group planning team. Following the public comment period (ending on September 6, 2000), the final master plan document was prepared and delivered to the Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission at its meeting on October 4th and 5th in Great Falls.

• The list of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Projects For Montana (September, 2000) is now available on the site. This second submission of projects, reflects a diversity of thirty four (34) projects that have been reviewed, analyzed and identified as "Tier I Projects" within Montana's new Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Master Plan. Please note, this document is in Adobe Acrobat format and is approximately 171K in size.

• Lewis & Clark in Montana: Interpretive Sign Strategy
  The federal and state agencies participating in MTRI’s Lewis & Clark Focus Team have developed an interpretive sign strategy to assist with the creation of a unified, coordinated statewide series of signs telling the Montana stories related to the historic expedition. The strategy is a tool for agencies, organizations, communities and private sector sponsors to utilize in planning, designing, producing and locating signage. The Interpretive Sign Strategy is followed by a series of appendices that provide extensive detail about Montana’s existing interpretive signs, planning efforts, new signage opportunities, suggested story lines, graphic guidelines, examples and resources for technical assistance. The strategy was commissioned by the MTRI agencies and produced through their technical and financial contributions as well as funding support from the Montana Power Company and a National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Grant.

Recent Press Releases:

• A list of Press Releases generated by the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission is available for your review.

  Please note: Adobe Acrobat files (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat. Click on the Adobe Acrobat graphic below to download the program FREE of charge.