Lewis and Clark, Hunter and Dunbar
Focus of Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Exhibits
January 29, 2003

By Jim Taylor, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Exhibits commemorating this year's bicentennial of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase will debut March 1 at the Museum of Regional History in Texarkana and at the Museum of Natural Resources near Smackover. On March 11, Louisiana Purchase exhibits at Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs will begin.

The Texarkana museum's exhibit, "Three Cents an Acre: Louisiana Purchase and Western Exploration," will focus on the exploratory journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore northern reaches of the Louisiana Purchase territory, their expedition left St. Louis in May 1804, journeyed up the Missouri River and reached the Pacific Ocean before returning in September 1806. The exhibit, to be displayed through May 31, will feature diaries, clothing and other artifacts related to the expedition, as well as photographs and maps of the explored territory.

The museum, located at 219 N. State Line Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $4 for adults, $3.50 for seniors, $3 for students and free for children 5 and younger. For additional information, visit www.texarkanamuseums.org or phone Ina McDowell at (903) 793-4831.

The journey of William Dunbar and George Hunter, two explorers also commissioned by Jefferson to explore southern territory acquired under the purchase, will be the subject of the Smackover and Hot Springs exhibits. Dunbar and Hunter departed from Natchez, Miss., in October 1804 and traveled up the Ouachita River to Hot Springs, arriving there in December 1804. Their published accounts first brought national acclaim to the thermal springs in the Ouachita Mountains now preserved within Hot Springs National Park.

The Museum of Natural Resources exhibit, "Filling Up the Canvas: A Voyage up the Washita," will include a 10-foot map depicting the Dunbar-Hunter route and will present information on the two explorers, the flora and fauna they encountered, the members of their expedition and the importance of their exploration. The exhibit will be displayed through Sept. 3.

Located on Ark. 7 two miles south of Smackover, the museum is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, phone Jeanne Clements at (870) 725-2877. Additional museum information is available at www.ArkansasStateParks.com.

Running through April 11, the Hot Springs National Park exhibit, entitled "Dunbar and Hunter Expedition to the Hot Springs in 1804," will focus on the duo's sojourn and scientific findings at the thermal springs. The exhibit will be on display in the Fordyce Bathhouse, the park's visitors center, on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs. Admission is free and hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, phone Gail Sears at (501) 624-3383, ext. 640. More park information is available at www.nps.gov/hosp.

Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.cominfo@arkansas.com