Monticello - Charlotteville, VA
Posted by: vhasler
N 38° 00.646 W 078° 27.162
17S E 723631 N 4210072
From Monticello, the concept for the exploring the American West was made by President Jefferson.
Waymark Code: WMA9YK
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/10/2010
Views: 22
Per the National Park Service "Lewis and Clark Expedition" travel itenary, we learn that:
It was from Monticello, on January 18, 1803, that President Jefferson sent a confidential letter to Congress, asking for $2,500 to finance a trek to the American West--up the Missouri River and beyond to the Pacific Ocean--a journey of discovery that would become the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Meriweather Lewis was a familiar presence in Jefferson's home, being a near neighbor and later the secretary to the President. In 1792, as a teenager, Lewis heard about Jefferson's proposal to the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia to outfit an adventurer to explore the American continent, and he volunteered but was deterred by Jefferson. Ultimately Jefferson chose André Michaux, a French botanist, for the mission, which ran into diplomatic entanglements and was called off. Jefferson recalled that the young Lewis "warmly solicited me to obtain for him the execution of that object." A decade later Jefferson did choose Lewis to lead his expedition. NPS reference
To put this request in perspective, the relative worth of $2,500 in 1803 would be be roughly equivalent to $1.4 million today.
"Must Sees"at this location": Monticello itself is a "Must See" to marvel at the ingenuity of the third U.S. president. It is understandable why he would want someone to explore the large purchased territory.
Date Waymark Created: 01/01/1770
Do they allow dogs at this location?: No
Rate this waymark as to importance:
|
Visit Instructions: Visits only will be logged if there is a picture of the individual at the location, with their GPS in hand submitted as proof of the visit or not having a camera, the person making the find must submit a reasonable "proof" of having visited the site. Examples include: Two or three sentence quote from historical/interpretive signage at the location; adequate descriptive language about the location that provides evidence of a visit; verification by another party present at the find; e-mail sent from the location of the waymark.
|