Chosen by the National Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Council as one of only 15 sites to host an official Lewis & Clark signature event, Nebraska considers it a tremendous honor to have presented the Nebraska Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commemoration. The main signature event occurred from July 31-August 3, 2004; and consisted of two events, the Corps of Discovery Festival and First Tribal Council. Another key part of the Nebraska commemoration event was the world-premier of Philip Glass's Piano Concerto No.2 (After Lewis and Clark) Sept 18, 2004.

The Lewis & Clark expedition, which was initiated by President Thomas Jefferson, began on May 14, 1804 when the Corps of Discovery entered the Missouri River and embarked on their nearly 8,000-mile journey. The historic expedition had several goals: to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean, to explore and map the new lands acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase, to discover and document new plants and animals and to make peaceful contact with the American Indians living in the West.

Lewis & Clark entered Nebraska in July of 1804 and fulfilled one of Jefferson's prime directives - to establish relations with the American Indians. Gathering at "council bluff," a hill located near present-day Fort Calhoun, Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery made their first contact with the Oto and Missouria tribes in what would be remembered as the "First Tribal Council." This meeting marked a seminal point in the history of the United States and established the pattern Lewis & Clark would use when meeting other tribes during their journey.

Dedicated to the task of honoring this epic period of American history, the Commission has drawn from our local and national community an incredible cast of Lewis & Clark and Native American scholars, musicians, artists and re-enactors that will educate and entertain the guests of the Corps of Discovery Festival and First Tribal Council.