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‘The Crossroads’ symbolizes post-Bicentennial mission of encounters (Oct. 17, 2007) – The Betty Strong Encounter Center will open Dec. 7 to host a year-round calendar of changing exhibits, programs and activities that focus on stories of Siouxland and the region. Among the permanent features, however, will be “The Crossroads,” a place of reflection and a symbol of hope for dialogue, understanding and peace among all people who make their home in Siouxland. 
“The Crossroads” comprises two elements: a compass; and a set of four colors arranged over the compass needles. The four colors represent the first people who lived in this area before Lewis & Clark arrived in 1804. The compass refers to those who came after, including explorers as well as immigrants from every part of the world, seeking economic opportunity and religious freedom. freedom. freedom. “‘The Crossroads’ speaks to the diversity that always has existed in Siouxland, first with Native peoples and later with French trappers, explorers, and the immigrants who continue to come here,” says Marcia Poole, director of the Center. “This symbol encourages us to respect the ways of all people who share this place all of us now call home.” “The Crossroads” design is the result of collaboration between Cannon Moss Brygger & Associates architects and Raymond A. Bucko, S.J., the Center’s cultural outreach advisor. Cannon Moss Brygger designed the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the adjoining Betty Strong Encounter Center. Fr. Bucko is chair of Sociology and Anthropology, and director of Native American Studies at Creighton University, Omaha. He earned a doctorate in anthropology from University of Chicago and has authored numerous publications, including “The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge: History and Contemporary Practice” (University of Nebraska Press). Signage was written by Fr. Bucko and Poole. A poem by J. Janda, titled “The Sign of the Cross,” brings another dimension to the place of reflection and dialogue. “The Center began as a place to commemorate the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial, 2003-2006. It will continue to tell Siouxland’s slice of that story,” says Poole. “Now in its post-Bicentennial, permanent life, the Center also will seek to encounter deeper meanings of the expedition and its transforming impact on the people, the land and the great river of this area.” The Betty Strong Encounter Center and the adjoining Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center were built and are sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD) as a private, non-profit institution.
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