Omaha in Douglas County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

A Satisfying Meeting

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2025

1. A Satisfying Meeting Marker

Captions: (left) The Lewis and Clark Expedition's first official meeting with a wester Indian tribe was on a Missouri River bluff about 10 miles north of here.; (lower right) Captains Lewis and Clark presented silver medallions to the Oto and Missouri leaders. President Thomas Jefferson was pictured on the front. On the back, a pipe and hatchet above two clasped hands were symbols of peace.

Inscription. When camped near here, the Lewis and Clark Expedition met with Oto and Missouri Indians. It was the Expedition's first official meeting with Indians west of the Mississippi River.
The Expedition's leaders had sent scouts to find Oto, Missouri, Omaha or Pawnee Indians. After a scout found a man from the Missouri tribe and brought him to the Lewis and Clark campsite, the meeting finally was arranged. The Missouri man carried word to his tribe and about 12 Oto and Missouri met Lewis and Clark and there crew on August 3, 1804
At the meeting, Meriwether Lewis described President Thomas Jefferson's hopes for peace and trading partnerships. Lewis and Clark presented gifts of gunpowder, cloth and face paint to their new acquaintances. Leaders of the Oto and Missouri who attended the council also gave speeches and presented gifts of watermelon to Lewis, Clark and their men.
Arranging the meeting hadn't been easy. But a few days later, Clark wrote that the Oto and Missouri "expressed great satisfaction at the speech that was delivered."

Erected by Back to the River, National Park Service, City of Omaha, Papio-Missouri

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is August 3, 1804.

Location. 41° 21.654′ N, 95° 57.579′ W. Marker is in Omaha, Nebraska, in Douglas County. It can be reached from Dodge Park Road near John J. Pershing Drive. The marker is located at N.P. Dodge Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Omaha NE 68112, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lewis and Clark Campsite (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lewis & Clark Expedition 1804-1806 (approx. half a mile away); Fort Lisa (approx. 0.9 miles away); John Pierre Cabanne's

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2025

2. A Satisfying Meeting Marker

(approx. 0.9 miles away); Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge (approx. 1.1 miles away); Crossroads to the West: (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Road to Zion (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Florence Mill (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Omaha.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2025, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 50 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 31, 2025, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.