Who was George Drouillard?
While his name is not exactly shrouded in history, it doesn't enjoy quite the same prominence that Meriwether Lewis, William Clark or even Sacagawea possess today.
A descendent of Drouillard's - 24-year-old Cory Skyler Drouillard - hopes to change that.
On Wednesday in Jefferson City, he launched an educational campaign to raise the profile of his ancestor with a press conference at the Corps of Discovery Monument, just east of the Missouri Capitol. (Drouillard is Cory's fourth great uncle.)
And he's picked a highly unusual method to draw attention to his cause: He will be speed skating much of the length of the Corp's 1802 route - 2,500 miles from Jefferson City to Seaside, Oregon, following the closest freeways - starting in June.
The campaign is being called "Skate for George." Cory Drouillard is a former national speed skating champion who now trains to keep in shape.
Cory Drouillard and supporters appeared in Jefferson City to announce the trek because it was 211 years ago this week that Drouillard met with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at Fort Massac in Illinois to prepare for the expedition. And he chose Jefferson City - as opposed to Fort Massac - because he was inspired by the Sabra Tull Meyer's memorial sculpture.
Dedicated in 2008, the sculpture features four men - Clark, Lewis, Drouillard and Clark's slave, York - and Lewis's dog, Seaman.
The son of a Shawnee mother and French-Canadian father, George Drouillard was a civilian interpreter, scout, hunter and cartographer for the Corps' Expedition. He was born in 1773 or 1775 and is reported to have died in 1810, after failing to return from a fur-trapping trip in the upper Missouri River basin.
Cory said not only was his ancestor the highest paid member of the expedition, in an index of the journals of Lewis and Clark, he warranted 645 entries. He believes both Lewis and Clark considered Drouillard their equal.
In an 1807 letter to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, Lewis called Drouillard a "man of much merit."
Lewis wrote: "He has been peculiarly useful from his knowledge of the common language of gesticulation, and his uncommon skill as a hunter and woodsman; those several duties he performed in good faith, and with an ardor which deserves the highest commendation. It was his fate also to have encountered, on various occasions, with either Captain Clark or myself, all the most dangerous and trying scenes of the voyage, in which he uniformly acquited himself with honor."
Cory said he hopes his journey will help school children and other Americans "awaken to this man and the important role he played."
"The most important thing are the kids. If they are not given the facts, how will they know? I want to open their minds to: Who was this man? And why was he so important?" he said.
Despite Wednesday's chilly temperatures, Meyer greeted the young man at the memorial. The artist said the research she did in preparation for the bronze casting convinced her Drouillard had to be included.
Pointing to the four men in her sculpture, she noted all were part of the "Captains' Mess," meaning they camped, ate and shared tents together.
"When we found that out, he had to be there," she said.
With only verbal descriptions and no images to work with, she had to interpret the planes of Drouillard's face.
"It was up to me to imagine. I hope I succeeded," she said.
Cory said it's the only sculpture of his ancestor in existence of which he's aware.
Part of Wednesday's event was to raise awareness about the lack of information about Drouillard in many student textbooks and history books. The group brought with them a collection of books they feel don't fairly represent Drouillard's contributions.
Cory grew up in Virginia, but the aspiring actor now lives in Los Angeles where he works for a public relations firm.
Retired historian Jim Denny agreed Drouillard deserves recognition as a crucial member of the expedition.
"He was their best interpreter ... and he had other great personal qualities. He was far and away their best hunter. He spent the entire time away from the expedition, hunting and trapping. Both Clark and Lewis thought he was indispensable for everything," Denny said. "Both Lewis and Clark had the highest opinion of him."