In conjunction with the National History Day competition, the Upper Mississippi Brigade, an organization committed to the collecting and interpreting of stories in the United States from 1790-1828, is sponsoring a prize (a memorial for founding member Ray Allard) for the outstanding related entries in the Junior and Senior Divisions, one $50 prize in each division. In 1790 the federal government began a concerted effort to control and settle the Trans-Appalachian West, sending exploratory and military missions to clear the way for American immigrants. Official federal policy remained the same until 1828, when Andrew Jackson became President. Eligible projects should fall into this Early Republic period of United States history. Examples of projects include: the Indian victory of Kekionga (usually known as St. Clair's Defeat); the lives of Blue Jacket, Little Turtle, or Tecumseh; The War of 1812 in the West; prairies and the change in environment; Zebulon Pike's mission of exploration to the Upper Mississippi in 1805; the fur trade and inland water travel; the building of Ft. Snelling 1820-1825; Lydia Bacon, Charlotte O. C. Van Cleve, and many, many more. Judges will favor well-done and less-well-known topics.