In 1803, the historic partnership of Lewis and Clark began at the Falls of the Ohio (between Louisville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Indiana) where the men met and spent twelve days preparing for a journey that would influence the course of American history forever.
Many would later call the 28-month expedition that traveled to the Pacific Ocean and back, "the most famous exploring venture in the history of the United States." Kentucky claims one of the longest sections of the Lewis and Clark Trail - 600 miles that tranels the Commonwealth's entire border with the Ohio River.
While in Louisville, Lewis and Clark enlisted the nucleus of their traveling party - the Corps of Discovery, which included the "Nine Young Men from Kentucky". Among the recruits was York, William Clark's slave and native of Louisville whose involvement in the expedition led him to become the first African-American to cross the United States from coast to coast. ... exerpts taken from article by the Kentucky HIstorical Society.
A Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail has now been created that starts in Maysville, Kentucky, traveling north along Hwy 9 to Covington, then south on I-71 to Louisville where it follows historic Hwy 60 paralleling the Ohio River west to Paducah. Click here for a complete itinerary of the trip including stops in the historic river towns of Hawesville, Owensboro, Henderson, Smithland and ending in Paducah.
