6/23/2010:
Members of the Capital City Gun Club were preparing the shooting range near Bismarck on this date six years ago, in anticipation of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trap Shoot. The event was part of a multitude of statewide programs and celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Corps of Discovery's landmark venture into the then-unknown Louisiana Territory.
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States for a price of $15,000,000. At a cost of less than three cents per acre, the Louisiana Purchase is often cited as the greatest real estate deal in history. Much of the 800,000 square miles, however, was unexplored and unknown. To remedy this, Jefferson commissioned William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to form a Corps of Discovery, with the sole purpose of exploring the territory. On May 14, 1804, the Corps set off from St. Louis, traveling up the Missouri River. The expedition to the Pacific Ocean and back would take over two years, covering 3,700 miles by horseback, foot, and waterways. When they returned to St. Louis in 1806, they brought a wealth of information and specimens that would inspire an entire country to expand westward.
Their feat remains one of the greatest stories of the American imagination, and in 2004, the entire country celebrated the bicentennial anniversary of their undertaking from St. Louis. States along their historic trail, including North Dakota, launched several events to commemorate the occasion, including the Capital City Gun Club's Bicentennial Trap Shoot. It seemed particularly fitting to commemorate the expedition with a shooting exposition, considering that the Corps relied heavily on their munitions for survival.
From June 24 to the 27th, the Gun Club hosted the shoot, which included imaginative events like "Double Ditch Doubles" and "Shoshone Singles." It was promoted in national trapshooting magazines, and was a registered event of the Amateur Trapshooting Association. And in addition to the shooting, participants were drawn by the opportunity to ride the Lewis and Clark riverboat, hike a portion of the Lewis and Clark historic trail, and visit the nearby historic sites, such as the Double Ditch Indian Village. As a result, the shoot drew an enormous number of entries from all across the United States.
Dakota Datebook written by Jayme L. Job
Sources:
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_4ee5c4ea-0afc-578f-8b3a-5f33bcad36de.html
http://www.pfdf.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=69