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(May 22, 2007) – Seaman the Newfoundland Dog will be the main attraction at on Memorial Day. The Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Seaman greeting visitors from 1 to 3 p.m. Children who visit Seaman will receive a free Lewis & Clark Expedition or Louisiana Purchase brass ornament or Lewis & Clark magnet. Admission will be free. The event will mark 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 sleeping Corps of Discovery soldiers from a charging buffalo bull. “Seaman the Newfoundland” 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. Seaman’s Corps of Discovery predecessor was purchased in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1803 for $20 by Meriwether Lewis. Until 1985 when historian Donald Jackson corrected the mistake, Seaman was misidentified as “Scannon.” 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. Others 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.
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