This Lewis and Clark in Southernmost Illinois component of the Southern Illinois History and Culture web site is the result of a grant from the Library of Congress to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to organize a coordinate a cooperative effort among regional institutions of higher education to create a web site devoted to our region’s history. This site is academic and public in nature and scope to allow researchers at all educational levels to access history, sources, contacts, and research regarding southern Illinois.

The initial body of research and accessible information is related to southernmost Illinois during the post Revolutionary War period through the 1818 pre-statehood period with specific research attention focused on the 1803-1806 Lewis & Clark Expedition period and their activities along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in southern Illinois.

David Koch, Director of Morris Library Special Collections and Research Center and Robert Swenson, Architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture and Interior Design at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale are the co-directors for the grant activities. Carla Smith, Graduate Student in Museum Studies and JoAnna Johnson, faculty in Cinema and Photography, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale are principal assistants. Participating regional colleges include Shawnee Community College at Ullin, IL, John A. Logan Community College at Carterville, and Southeast Community College at Harrisburg.