(1752 – 1818)
A life-size bronze statue of Colonel George Rogers Clark, situated among grasses and flora native to Clay County, adorns the entrance to Flora’s historic railroad depot. Sculpted by Don Morris, a native of nearby Xenia, the statue commemorates the arduous trek of Col. Clark and his troops along the Vincennes Trace through Clay County in 1779.
The Trace in 1779 was parallel to the existing railroad path today through the county to Vincennes, IN. Col. Rogers and troops endured difficult winter and flood conditions to complete his march and conquer the British at Fort Sackville in Vincennes.
The tremendous accomplishment of Col. Clark’s victory gave possession to the newly formed United States of America the entire Northwest Territory held by the British. That territory today encompasses the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota.
More information on the adventures and accomplishments of Col. Clark may be obtained at a national monument erected to him in Vincennes, IN. Available at the Flora depot are DVD’s by Historian Harley Bonham, recounting the difficult journey that took Clark and his troops through Clay County so many years ago.
An accompanying link to this site written by Bonham gives additional detail of Colonel Clark’s trek through Clay County.
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