Neal & Mary Lee Corey and the Corps of Discovery 200th Anniversary re-enactment

Neal and Mary Lee Corey’s involvement with the Corps of Discovery 200th Anniversary re-enactment began with Mary Lee seeing an advertisement seeking volunteers to join the group in St. Louis for the trip west following the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Neal, newly retired from BNSF railroad, was a modern-day renaissance man with many talents. Perhaps Mary Lee felt he still had too much time on his hands or knew his curiosity would lead him to join up.

After learning more details, none of which may have prepared either of them for the arduous adventure, Neal was ready to go!

Neal’s woodworking skills, leatherworking, attention to details and most importantly good health made him an important addition to the group. Being a farmer as well as a railroad Switch Foreman, meant he was used to adverse weather and mother nature’s ‘sense of humor’ when it came to being outdoors. He crafted a dugout canoe and used it during the trips over rivers and lakes. After taking part in the full set of re-enactments, he and Mary Lee gave presentations to groups throughout the area such as the Boy Scouts.

Mary Lee’s friendly and calm demeanor prevailed as she traveled by land ahead of the Corps, setting up at the last travel point of the day and engaging with the public, describing the expedition, and raising money through the sale of memorabilia tied to the group. Both, being generational Southwest Nebraska people, felt that the historical pieces they had from the Discovery Corps 200th Anniversary trips deserved to be preserved for the public and have gifted them to the Museum of the High Plains in McCook.