Youngest Member Corps of Discovery - Palmyra, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 39° 47.957 W 091° 31.401
15S E 626417 N 4406522
Later became a lawyer, and died in Palmyra while pursuing his law practice
Waymark Code: WMMRWK
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/31/2014
Views: 4
County of mark: Marion County
Location of mark: US 61 (business)/MO 168, [Main St.], courthouse lawn, Palmyra
Marker erected by: The Missouri State Society, DAR and The Hannibal Heritage Chapter, DAR
Date marker erected: June 13, 2004
Marker text:
GEORGE SHANNON
1787- 1836
This marker commemorates George Shannon
The youngest member of the Corps of
Discovery, on the occasion of the
Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition
He died in Palmyra, Missouri, while on legal
business, August 30, 1836, and is buried one
mile north of Palmyra in the Messey Mill
Cemetery
"The youngest member of the "Corps of Discovery" was Private George Shannon. Private Shannon is mentioned in several journal entries due to his lack of orientation. On several occasions Private Shannon was sent out into the wilderness and found himself lost. The first time this happened was on August 27th, 1804 near Yankton, South Dakota. While searching for lost horses, Private Shannon became as lost as the horses and did not find his way back to the company until September 11th. During his time on the prairie Private Shannon lived for 12 days on a few wild grapes and a rabbit. It was later discovered that he was traveling ahead of the Corps and after despairing because he could not catch up with them he returned down river towards Saint Louis and eventually found the party.
Private Shannon would have other lost -and -found episodes during his travels, most lasted only a few hours, but on August 6th, 1805 Shannon was in trouble again. This time while hunting near Dillon, Montana he didn’t find the party until August 9th. Again Shannon thought that the Corps was up river from him. Captain Lewis wrote: "Shannon arrived, and informed us that having missed the party the day on which he set out he had returned the next morning to the place from whence he had set out or first left them and not finding them that they were not above him as the river could not be navigated; he then returned to the forks and had pursued us up this river. He brought the skins of three deer, which he had killed, which he said were in good order. He had lived very plentifully this trip, but looked a good deal worried with his march."
Later in life George Shannon studied law and became a lawyer and a senator from Missouri." ~ Lewis and Clark Trail
"George Shannon died in 1836 in Palmyra while defending a client. He was buried in the old Massey Mill cemetery north of Palmyra. His grave was disturbed and lost when the old Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad roadbed was being upgraded. He was also elected to the Missouri State House in Jefferson City, but died before being able to serve his term. he was a friend of Henry Clay and Stephen F. Austin while in Lexington, Kentucky. His obituary never mentioned his great adventure with Lewis & Clark. In 2004 the Missouri State DAR remembered George's service by erecting this marker on the Marion County Courthouse grounds." ~ Carpe Diem59
Listing on Find-A-Grave shows no grave stone has been found