“Captain Lewis Meets The Shoshone – August 11, 1808” by Richard Vernon Greeves captures a pivotal moment in early American exploration through the eyes of the people already present. This bronze sculpture depicts a Shoshone rider mounted in quiet command, bearing the strength and watchfulness of a nation poised between tradition and imminent change. The date reflects the meeting between Captain Meriwether Lewis and the Shoshone tribe during the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Rather than portray the explorer, Greeves centers the narrative on the Indigenous experience—the poised figure, uncluttered by excess, speaks volumes through posture, weapon, and gaze. The horse beneath him is not merely transportation but companion and extension—alert, balanced, and still. Together, they form a single silhouette of presence, sovereignty, and grace.

With it's rich textural surface and emotive silence, this piece honors Native perspective in a moment often told from the outside. It’s a historical inversion—a shift in vantage that invites viewers to reconsider whose land was being discovered, and by whom.