A green line painted on the road leads visitors directly from the administrative offices to the gravesite of Louisville’s beloved son, Muhammad Ali. There are no such markers to find a small, ordinary gravestone atop a hill in Section A that sits parallel to the ground, its markings facing away from the road.

Only a collection of French-speaking women gathered beneath a tree tip off where Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. lies. “Bonjour,’’ they say warmly, before shuffling off with their tour guide to the next stop.

In a city that plasters buildings with pictures of its famous homegrowns – you’ll find Paul Hornung, Diane Sawyer, Ali and others – Clark remains comparatively anonymous. Yet he arguably might be more responsible for making Louisville famous than any of them. Six miles away from where Clark lies buried sits Churchill Downs, site of the Kentucky Derby, celebrating its 150th running this week. Without him, none of it might ever have happened.

Clark is of that Lewis & Clark – grandson of William Clark and named for the explorer’s famed traveling partner. Meriweather, who went by Lutie, did not exactly have his forefathers’ sense of forbearance. Instead, he found an appreciation for the finer things in life after moving in with his wealthy uncles, John and Henry Churchill. Clark enjoyed fancy clothes, a sip of Champagne and gambling on the horses.

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