Imagine your worst day at work. Maybe you accidentally spilled coffee all over your boss’s shirt, or forwarded a personal email to all of your clients, or got caught singing (poorly) in the break room. Pretty embarrassing, right? Well, at least no one will remember a century from now and erect statues and historical markers telling the story of that major flub.
Not so for Private George Shannon. His work gaffes have become historical fun in northeast Nebraska.
Shannon Trail
At just 19, George Shannon was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Shannon Trail
He was a brave lad, but he’ll always be remembered as the expedition member with the worst sense of direction…or maybe just the worst luck.
Shannon Trail
Shannon got lost twice in the course of the expedition. The more notable incident happened on August 26, 1804.
Shannon Trail
Shannon was sent out to retrieve two pack horses that had wandered off from camp. He failed to find his way back and spent 12 days separated from his party.
Shannon Trail
In that time, Shannon nearly starved to death but was able to sustain himself on wild grapes and a rabbit that he managed to kill.
Shannon Trail
The young explorer had assumed that he was behind the expedition party, so he rushed ahead trying to catch up. Failing to find them, he had decided to go downstream and wait for a trading party to come along so he could join them. It was there that another member of the expedition found him and brought him back on September 11th.
Shannon Trail
Private Shannon and his misadventure have been memorialized with the George Shannon Trail in northeastern Nebraska. The 240-mile trail was founded in 2001 as a joint tourism effort by the communities located along unlucky Private Shannon’s historic path…which just happens to wind through some incredibly scenic parts of the state.
Shannon Trail
The communities along the trail are Bloomfield, Bow Valley, Center, Creighton, Crofton, Hartington, Lindy, Niobrara, St. Helena, St. James, Santee, Verdel, Verdigre, Wausa, Winnetoon, Wynot, and the Ponca and Santee Sioux Nations.
Shannon Trail
Sixteen descriptive signs and 13 wooden chainsaw statues of Private Shannon dot the trail. Each sign tells a little more of the story, and each statue is in a different pose and position to represent that part of Shannon’s misadventure.
Shannon Trail
The trail is a great fun activity for anyone who loves history - or just a really good story. Special events are held on the trail throughout the year. Geocachers also love this place for the more than 200 caches along the trail.
Shannon Trail
The Shannon Trail isn’t meant to make fun of young Shannon or his sense of direction. His is simply an interesting story to tell – one of many that occurred on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Taking the trail is a fun way to learn, through one young man’s eyes, about a side of the adventure that not many people have heard of.
Shannon Trail
Get more information about the journey – and about George Shannon – at the Shannon Trail site.
If you’d like to have even more historical adventures, check out these 10 historic landmarks you have to visit at least once.
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