Reenactors are often told they are "Historical Travelers" in the way they walk the paths and try to relive the experiences of people from previous years. But for a real historical travel, perhaps nothing can match the outstanding reenactment event of the year: the Lewis and Clark Expedition on the 200th anniversary of the original trek.

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Peter Geery and almost 300 people in all will reenact the voyage by going down the Ohio River, then up the Mississippi, then up the Missouri River, through 2003-2005. In all, they should cover about 1,500 miles of water-road, at about the same speed as the original expedition. Along the river, they will camp at sites near or on the original campsites of the first expedition.

Captain Merriwether Lewis and Lt. William Clark began their voyage to see if they could find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean through the new Louisiana Territories. Along the way, they were to meet the Native Americans, collect samples of fauna and flora, and to explore the new lands that had been purchased by the United States from France by President Thomas Jefferson.

Peter Geery, portraying Sergeant John Ordway, will be one of the few people to make the complete voyage. Because of the time it will take to retrace the route of the original explorers, some of the members will come on and off at different points as their personal schedules will demand.

Peter Geery as Sgt. Ordway, US Army Corps of Discovery

While it is always the goal of reenactors to be as authentic as possible, there are always some concessions to modern times. The original riverboats were rowed, sailed and poled up the river against the currents. While there will be substantial rowing and poling of the boats during the tour, the US Coast Guard requires them to have modern navigation lights and inboard engines to avoid collisions with the heavy river traffic of ships and barges going up and down these major river highways. But as much as possible the members of the band will try to adhere to early 19th century technology.

It is often forgotten today that this was a military expedition of exploration, and their small unit was designated the "Corps of Discovery." This was intended as a peaceful incursion into unknown areas for scientific, transportation and commercial possibilities, but it was also a military reconnaissance as well. Except for only a few civilians, the members of the Corps of Discovery were regular US Army soldiers.

Using the organization of the original party, Mr. Geery and the other members of the expedition will follow the original trace as much as possible. Sometimes, this is not possible, as time and human engineering have significantly changed the topology of the land and the waterways. Also, modern regulations regarding water passage and river traffic will force the boats in the little flotilla to take divergent paths and alternate methods to reach their goals.

During their travels, the members of the expedition will write up their experiences in journals, and try to match the observations of the present to the journal entries of the original voyagers.

They will also travel to schools along the river and talk to the students and the public about the Lewis and Clark expedition and their impact on the development of our country. Much of the financing for this expedition is to encourage the educational component of the trip, and the benefits of explaining and teaching this part of American history to the public and to the children through the heart of America.

To help explain the experiences of the travelers, several people who are descendents of the original party will participate, such as Charles Clark and Payton Clark, both descendants of the original William Clark. Other people will take other persona, such as Porter Williams, who will portray York, a black man who completed the expedition as a slave. Miss Amy Mossett, who is a representative of the Mandan-Hidista tribe, will portray the famous translator, Sakakawea (aka Sacajewea).

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