Lewis And Clark Bicentennial Cover Collection

The bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (LCE) was well-documented with commemorative pieces: coins, stamps, silver rounds, jewelry items, books, maps, posters and more. I enjoy collecting commemorative souvenirs from the LCE bicentennial, and am planning an exhibit for my local coin and stamp show in a few months.

One set of items I plan to display is a collection of 20 covers produced by Fleetwood during the LCE bicentennial (2004-06). The official name of the set is "Paul and Chris Calle's Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Collection." Each of the covers in the set features a full-color original illustration by the father-son duo on its front; the back of each provides background information on the cover's theme.

Paul and Chris Calle are well-known historical artists who, in addition to their paintings, have created artwork for a large number of stamps and covers.

The first three covers in the set are FDCs for the Lewis and Clark stamps of 2004. The other 17 covers are referred to as Commemorative Covers in the set's paperwork, and feature artwork that illustrates important events of the expedition. I realize that the covers are not valuable by any stretch, but I believe their artwork is first-rate and they will make for a terrific educational display.

To begin my series of posts about them, I present the three FDCs that kick off the collection: The Saga Begins, Endless Bison and Westward Bound.

Very nice. I just read Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage", which is about the Lewis/Clark saga. I recommend it.

I'll definitely check it out. Thanks!

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Fleetwood & the Calles sure did a nice job on those covers.

http://kenburns.com/films/lewis-clark/ ... and I'd like to put in a nice word for the Ken Burns documentary.

But I would also like to point-out that I actively despise stamps-that-look-like-they-are-from-one-hundred-years-ago ... there are just too many "innocents" - especially abroad - who will/can/might not readily identify these as modern look-alikes ... how can I comfortably use these stamps on my outbound mail and confidently expect it to reach its destination?

Apparently, this is just me: folks who have used stamps-that-look-like-they-are-from-one-hundred-years-ago on their outbound international mail report no special problems with shrinkage.

Even if the airplane was upside down.

Go figure.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Today's installment of Lewis and Clark Bicentennial covers includes the first three historical anniversary covers of the collection: First Fourth of July, Death of Sergeant Charles Floyd, and Setting the Prairie on Fire. All of the events commemorated took place during the first year of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - 1804.

Excellent thread, Bluejay, thanks for sharing your nice covers.

From Wikipedia:

By 1857, erosion had caused much of Floyd's grave—even the original cedar post marker left by the crew of the expedition—to slide into the river and wash away. Concerned citizens rescued most of his skeleton, including his skull, and re-buried it 200 meters east of the original burial site. A forensic reconstruction of Sgt. Floyd's probable facial appearance based on a plaster cast of his skull is on display at the Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum in Sioux City.
After Floyd's expedition journal was published in 1894, new interest was taken in him and his remains were buried again on August 20, 1895, the anniversary of his death. Sioux City residents Thomas J. Stone, John H. Charles, George D. Perkins, C. R. Marks, and G. W. Wakefield established the Floyd Association to erect a monument. It took five years to raise $20,000 and development began in May 1900 with the pouring of a concrete base. Floyd's remains were reinterred for the final time on August 20, 1900, the anniversary of his death. The obelisk of white sandstone standing 100 feet (30 m) high was completed on May 30, 1901. In 1960, the monument was recognized by the U.S. Department of Interior as the first National Historic Landmark. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 30, 1960.

The Floyd Monument is now within a 23-acre park that offers visitors a splendid view of the Missouri River valley. Floyd's final resting place is located on old U.S. Highway 75, in the southern part of Sioux City, Iowa, USA.

@Linus: Thanks for the info on the Sergeant Floyd monument. If I ever find myself in Sioux City, IA, I will definitely check it out.

Before I move on to the 2005- and 2006-dated covers, I thought I would present the last of the 2004 covers: The Interpreters.

Tonight I am posting the first three (of nine) Lewis and Clark Expedition bicentennial commemorative covers for events that took place in 1805: Sacred Bison Calling, Teton Sioux Rob Men and First Grizzly Confrontation.

As with the previous covers in the collection - great artwork!

Here's a second group of three 2005-dated commemorative covers from the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Collection featuring the outstanding artwork of Paul and Chris Calle.

The covers in this group are Lewis Reaches the Great Falls, Sacagawea and Her Brother Reunite, and Crossing the Bitterroots.

Today's installment is the third (and final) group of three 2005-dated commemorative covers from the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Collection that I have been presenting.

This installment includes: Peace Agreement, Ocean in View and First Vote Allowed to All.

I've really enjoyed seeing this cover collection. Thanks very much for posting!

Lest we forget ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_(explorer)

@mestephil: Thanks very much for reading the posts - I'm glad you have enjoyed them! Just a few more to go!

In the home stretch! Just four more covers from the collection to present, plus a pair of surprise supplements!

Here are the first two of four 2006-dated covers from events that took place on the expedition's journey back to St. Louis. The two covers are: Leaving Fort Clatsop and At Pompey's Pillar.

Today, I present covers #19 and #20 of the 20-cover Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Collection. The covers are: Leaving Sacagawea and Charbonneau and Return to St. Louis.

Each of the covers carries a 2006 postmark for the 200th anniversary of an important expedition event that took place in 1806 as the expedition made its way back home. The L&C Expedition began on May 14, 1804 and completed just over 28 months later on September 28, 1806.

I've enjoyed presenting the set of covers, though I fully understand that such modern made-to-be-a-collectible items are not generally favored by many philatelists. As I stated in my first post about the set, however, I think the artwork of Paul and Chris Calle that each cover features is terrific and am hopeful that it will help attract folks when the covers are displayed as part of a Lewis and Clark exhibit I am planning for my local coin and stamp show.

Tomorrow's post will wrap things up and will feature two bonus covers for the L&C Expedition with artwork from Calle team.