York the Slave

York the Slave (HMRI4)

Location: Cairo, IL 62914 Alexander County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 0.172', W 89° 10.327'

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Inscription
York was the first known African American to cross the American continent. In the company of Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, from 1803-1806, he shared equally with them the rigors of the journey, but when the corps was honored, he received no recognition. Whenever the corps came upon American Indian tribes, however, his uniqueness became apparent. To the Crow, York's blackness of skin was viewed as "big medicine," to the Shoshonis and Nez Perce, he was a man of curiosity and strength and awe.

Born about 1772 to slave parents, Old York and Rose, York was the body servant of William Clark. York grew up in Virginia and Kentucky and traveled with the future Captain Clark on his expeditions. In the early 1810's, York was freed by Clark. Involved in drayage and domestic service in Tennessee, York lived possibly into the early 1830's.
Details
HM NumberHMRI4
Series This marker is part of the Lewis & Clark Expedition series
Tags
Placed ByCity of Cairo
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 3rd, 2014 at 1:59pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 306727 N 4097395
Decimal Degrees37.00286667, -89.17211667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 0.172', W 89° 10.327'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 0' 10.32" N, 89° 10' 19.62" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)618
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 301-399 15th St, Cairo IL 62914, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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