William Clark and Meriwether Lewis
The epic Lewis & Clark Expedition took place over 200 years ago. Besides William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, there was a large number of many other fellow travelers. Also traveling in that group was the noted Native American woman Sacajawea. Lewis and Clark kept careful journals of their daily activities, observations, and discoveries which later were published in one volume. You can read their journal at gutenberg.org.
The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
The expedition began in St. Louis, Missouri, and ended on the Oregon coast, at Fort Clatsop. The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park offers a historic recreation of Lewis and Clark’s fort, a host of trails and forests to be explored, and the chance to learn about Native American cultures.
A Personal Note
I’ve always loved the chronicle of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When I was in junior high (the old name for middle school), I was quite lonely and unhappy at school. Often, I would take refuge in the school library, where a beautiful, original art mural adorned an entire wall and I could read familiar books and discover new ones.
One of my favorite books of “escape” was In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark, written by Gerald S. Snyder and published by the National Geographic Society. It had amazing pictures and photographs and descriptions from the journals kept by the explorers. They reminded me of my love for nature, road trips with my family, and visiting my grandparents in Oregon.
Recently, when I saw a copy of this book for sale at a used book store, I immediately bought it! It was a happy reminder of how reading had provided a welcome refuge from unpleasant circumstances.
This is the final stop on our Oregon Author Adventures Trail.
Rebecca Blake Beech
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