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St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com |
by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), March 14, 2004 - Two hundred years ago, March 9, 1804, nearly the entire population of St. Louis, about one thousand people, crowded the streets and the open public square north of the government house, to witness the transferring of the Upper Louisiana Territory from Spain, to France, and then to the United States. In a special Three Flags Commemoration ceremony on the Mississippi Riverfront, March 14, 2004, dignitaries from France, Spain, United States, American Indian leaders, members of the U.S. National Park Service, and officials from the City of St. Louis gathered to mark the Bicentennial of that historic transfer. As Ms. Peggy O'Dell, superintendent, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, enthusiastically welcomed everyone to the event, Corps of Discovery of St. Charles re-enactors crossed the Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri in a replica pirogue and landed at the foot of the Gateway Arch. Dayton Duncan, author and filmmaker, provided an extensive historical perspective following a proclamation by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. "The official witness of the first Three Flags Ceremony was a young Captain named Merriwether Lewis, who had been spending the winter across the Mississippi River in Illinois at the boundary of the United States until that moment," he said. Duncan told the audience gathered on the steps of the Gateway Arch that William Clark, Lewis' co-commander, was also said to have attended the event. "It's worth noting that the chiefs of no Indian nation were present or even consulted in this process," stated Duncan. "Following the signing of the papers, the citizens of St. Louis were informed that they were released from their allegiance to Spain." "According to oral tradition of the Three Flags," continued Duncan, "after the Spanish flag was taken down, a French flag was run up the pole and the people of town asked that it be allowed to fly one more day over St. Louis. On the next morning, March 10, when Captain Stoddard took possession of St. Louis on behalf of the United States, the French flag was taken down and replaced permanently by the Stars and Stripes. "St. Louis and Upper Louisiana was now officially part of the United States and nothing would ever be the same," concluded Duncan. Tex G. Hall (Red Tipped Arrow), president, National Congress of American Indians, brought laughter from the audience when he observed how St. Louis has grown since the historic transfer. "200 years ago, in our villages and now North Dakota, we were larger than the City of St. Louis." He recounted how many tribes were nearly wiped out from smallpox in 1837. "As many of our tribal members go to school in the urban cities across America, they read that many of the tribes are extinct. But I'm here to tell you that according to the 2000 census, 4.1 million people marked 'Indian' decent," stated Hall. As the crowd applauded, he continued, "From 1925, when there was only 250,000, we are going strong. We are proud of our heritage. We are proud of our tribes. And we're proud to be Americans." Ambassador Francisco Viqueira, Consul General for Spain, stated that the transfer was a defining moment in the history of the United States. "It was a watershed event and a groundbreaking decision. For the first time ever, the New Republic, the young union was confronted with accepting in its midst different European cultures, new social habits, diverse religions and a different language." In closing remarks, Judge Craig Manson, U.S. assistant secretary of the Interior, stated that "History is the story of ordinary people doing ordinary things. We make history everyday in the things that we do and in the things we fail to do. History belongs to all of us." To commemorate the significance of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial, the United States Mint publicly released the new Jefferson nickel, the first in the Westward Journey Nickel Series, in St. Louis. Ms. Henrietta Holsman Fore, director, United States Mint, stated, "This is an important moment for our nation as we mark the historic significance of the Louisiana Purchase. This is the first coin of the Westward Journey Nickel Series and it celebrates both the vision of President Thomas Jefferson and the spirit of our young United States of America." See related story: St. Louis Celebrates Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial
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