Student takes grand prize in T-shirt design contest

  (May 30, 2006) - Kierrah Quincy’s depiction of Seaman the Newfoundland Dog took grand prize Monday, May 29th in the Center’s Junior Explorer T-Shirt Design Contest.

  Students from 14 Siouxland schools participated in the contest. More than 300 people attended the Memorial Day event which included a visit by the “real” Seaman the Dog. More than 1,000 people visited the Center during the Friday through Monday holiday weekend.

  The winning design was announced by Mark Monson, president of Missouri River Historical Development Association, Inc., (MRHD), the non-profit organization that built and sustains the Center.

Seaman the Dog takes the focus in Kierrah Quincy’s grand prize-winning design unveiled Monday at the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The design has been used to create the Center’s official Junior Explorer T-shirt.

   Kierrah was awarded 10 Sacajawea dollars and Corps of Discovery-related books and materials, as well as the distinction of seeing her design used for the official Junior Explorer T-shirt. The T-shirt went on sale Monday at the Center.

  A Longfellow School second grader, Kierrah created a kid’s-eye view of a whimsical Seaman as he considers a rascally prairie dog peeking out from the ground. A full sun and the suggestion of two Corps of Discovery soldiers embellish the colorful scene.

  Winners in each division received five uncirculated Sacajawea dollars and varied Corps of Discovery-related books and educational materials. The other winners were:

Kindergarten through third grade:

• First: Calvin Chalstrom, second grade, Roosevelt Elementary School, Cherokee, Iowa;
• Second: Seton Warren, first grade, Mater Dei School
• Third: Sirbastone Dean, third grade, Irving School;

Fourth through sixth grade:

• First: Samantha Tymkowicz, fourth grade, Mater Dei;
• Second: Eliot Sayavong, fourth grade, Mater Dei;
• Third: Sydnee Dean, fifth grade, Irving School;

Seventh & Eighth grades (tie for second):

• First: Cecily St. Cyr, eighth grade, North Middle;
• Second: Courtnie Voss, eighth grade, Galva-Holstein;
• Second: Jimmy Thelen, eighth grade, Holy Cross;
• Third: Bryce Adams, eighth grade, Galva Holstein.

   The Center’s event included a visit by the “real” Seaman the Dog who joined the Center’s staff in December 2003 when he was three months old. He is a member of the Todd and Kathy Ellison family of Sioux City. His Corps of Discovery predecessor was purchased in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1803 for $20 by Capt. Lewis.

  Monday was the anniversary of one of Seaman’s most heroic deeds. Capt. Meriwether Lewis documented the night of May 29, 1805, when Seaman’s barking saved the sleeping Corps of Discovery soldiers from a charging buffalo bull.

  Famous for its large size, pleasing disposition and strong swimming ability, the Newfoundland breed was well suited to the rigors of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Seaman helped feed the explorers by catching beavers, squirrels and even an antelope. Lewis last mentions the dog on July 15, 1806, when Seaman is battling mosquito bites.

  Other luminaries who had pet Newfoundlands include Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, George Washington, Robert F. Kennedy, Bing Crosby, King Edward VII, and Queen Victoria.

    The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, exit 149 off I-29, is a private, non-profit institution built and sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD). Admission, all programs, exhibits and activities are free and open to all people.

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