This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: June 23, 2008 - Recent flooding has completely submerged the Lewis and Clark statue that sits on the riverfront in the shadow of Eads Bridge. But this isn't the first time the explorers have gone under, and it most certainly will not be the last. Good thing for Lewis and Clark's larger-than-life likenesses, their creator designed them to be waterproof.
"Both of these guys are happily underwater," said sculptor Harry Weber, who was commissioned to sculpt the piece to commemorate the 200th anniversary of expedition's return in 2006.
His statue, aptly named "The Captains' Return," depicts the explorers, along with their dog Seaman, coming ashore by boat at the end of their three-year journey in 1806. And while the waterfront location may be vulnerable to flooding, it is within walking distance of where the explorers actually landed, said Weber.
Weber specifically designed the statue to withstand submersion. Among the amenities that maintain the statue's integrity during flood season are a drainage system in the base and a powerful sealant that covers the bronze work.
In fact, considerable planning went into the statue's site -- at least, more planning than a glimpse of Clark's hat in raised hand barely poking out of the river might lead one to assume.
Weber says the statue has an important role in rejuvenating the riverfront.
David Luckes, president and CEO of the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, the group that raised private donations for the statue, sees "The Captains' Return" as a way to draw people to the riverfront.
"It invites people to be on the river," Luckes said. "We wanted it to bring people to the riverfront as opposed to having it sit in a park somewhere, disembodied from the history."
This spring, the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation came up with the funds to install a sidewalk, benches and lighting at the statue's site. The Army Corps of Engineers halted construction by requiring a new permit for the changes -- a move that was met with some criticism by residents concerned with the haphazard status of the construction site surrounding the statue. Luckes expects to have the revised plans cleared by the proper authorities in time to resume work when the water recedes.
Luckes also pointed out the statue's function as a "catalyst for conversation" -- a conversation that seems to swell with the flood waters, as the statue's drowning explorers merited national mention in the New York Times in May.
As for the artist's piece of the conversation, Weber doesn't mind the water too much. In fact, he quite enjoys it when the water rises to the bottom of the explorers' boat, as if bearing Lewis and Clark back to St. Louis once more.