First Council Interpretive Monument

The First Council Monument commemorates the first official meeting between Lewis and Clark and Indian tribes, the Oto and Missouri Indians at the site the Expedition named "Council Bluff". The Monument includes a life-sized sculpture of Lewis, Clark, an Oto chief and a Missouri chief, an interpreter and Seamon, Lewis' dog, with the figures posed as if the Council is progress, set within an area of restored Tallgrass prairie. The Monument is located at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

Visitors approach the sculpture on a winding path and crushed stone pathways invite visitors to walk among the figures. A walk way encircles the sculpture allowing visitors to observe it in its entirety and includes an interpretive exhibit that describes the Council participants. The First Nations Trail, with three interpretive exhibits describing the First Council Ceremony and the importance of Indians to the Expedition, winds through the prairie.

The Monument's second element is an observation deck overlooking the Missouri River valley. Three exhibits describe William Clark's vision for a fort on the Council Bluff site, the Missouri River environment, and the animals to be found along the river.

The Monument opened in August 2003 and was a favorite attraction for visitors to the Council Bluff site at the 2004 Lewis & Clark Expedition Bicentennial Commemoration.