Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

About

We explore encounters with the people, land and rivers of this region before, during and after the Lewis & Clark Expedition by interactive exhibits, activities and programs. Our builder and sustainer is the Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD).

Story

The Crossroads
“The Crossroads” connects the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the Betty Strong Encounter Center. It is a place of reflection and a symbol of hope for dialogue, understanding and peace among all people who make their home in the region.
“The Crossroads” comprises two elements: four colors (black, white, red and blue) arranged in a circle over a compass. The four colors represent Native peoples who lived in this region long before Lewis & Clark arrived in 1804. The compass refers to those who came after, including explorers and immigrants who continue to come here from every part of the world.
“The Crossroads” is the result of collaboration between Cannon Moss Brygger & Associates architects and Raymond A. Bucko, S.J., Director of Native American Studies at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska.
Cannon Moss Brygger designed the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the adjoining Betty Strong Encounter Center. Fr. Bucko is the Center’s cultural outreach advisor.
The Crossroads message is illuminated by the poem, “The Sign of the Cross,” by J. Janda.

Mission

The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center/Betty Strong Encounter Center seeks to explore the mysteries of how we live together as diverse people; how we care for our land, our great river and other natural resources we have inherited. In this ongoing journey, the Center aims to create a home for dialogue that fosters understanding and peace among people who were in this area before Lewis & Clark, those who came after and those who continue to make their home in this region.