ORLCTHF: June 1999 Newsletter : Vol. 1, No. 3

Oregon Chapter of the
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation

June 1999 Newsletter : Vol. 1, No. 3

Oregon Chapter Newsletter
Vol. 1, No. 3 June, 1999

President's Corner

The April 25th meeting with our neighbor chapter members in Washington State proved to be a very pleasant, informative and cooperative (including the weather) occasion. Doc Wesselius made an outstanding presentation on the Expedition's journey down the lower Columbia River. The superb living history performance "Sacagawea" by Joyce Badgley Hunsaker deserved the standing ovation she received. We thank all concerned for making this occasion possible and I hope we can make such meetings an annual event. A tripartite meeting with the WA and ID chapters is now scheduled for July 17 at the Columbia Gorge Interpretative Center near Stevenson, WA, in connection with Dr. Gary Moulton's evening address on the flora and fauna of the Expedition. One item on the agenda will be to seek a clear understanding of the role and purpose of a state chapter in relation to the roles of other L & C oriented organizations and interests now emerging (e.g., tourism and Native American programs, commercial initiatives and other bicentennial events.)

The 4th Annual National Bicentennial Planning Workshop on April 21-24 in Vancouver was well attended and offered an excellent opportunity to be briefed on a variety of issues including: regional L & C education programs; the roles and plans of some 14 federal agencies; Native American cultural and historical centers; WA State bicentennial infrastructure plans, tourism and marketing strategies; and the L & C Trail Stewardship Initiative. The workshop also included an informative tour of WA L & C sites followed by a salmon dinner at Ft. Clatsop.

This summer we will be sending you a listing of OR L & C historic sites along with evaluation forms. We encourage you to participate in the chapter's "L & C Site Survey" to protect the most vulnerable segments and associated sites of the trail in OR and the actions needed to mitigate the impacts of an estimated 4 million bicentennial visitors.

I hope you will plan to attend our first field trip to "Clark's Point of View" on Tillamook Head on Saturday, June 12. It will be an interesting, fun day. We will rendezvous on the site of an Indian village described by Clark, complete with shell middens still visible. See the announcement for details.

You will be receiving an invitation for the June 18, Friday evening benefit dinner for our chapter at the Governor Hotel in Portland with Dr. Moulton and the premiere sale and signing opportunity for the second edition of his L & C Atlas. This will also be a very special event. Please join us.

Keith Hay

Lewis & Clark : Question & Answer
By Mike Carrick

First I want to thank Bud Clark, ex-mayor of Portland, for pointing out an error in my answer to the inquiry about Lewis' branding iron. I wrote that L&C left their horses with the Shoshone Indians when, of course, they left them with the Nez Perce. Obviously Mayor Clark has exposed himself to history as well as to art.

Next I would like to thank Glen Kirkpatrick for writing a most comprehensive answer to the following question.

There has been a lot written about the living conditions and shelter provided by Fort Clatsop, but what do we know about how the men at the Salt Works lived and what type of shelter was available to them?

Answer

The location of the salt works was well suited for distilling salt, as the site was far enough south of the Columbia River to minimize dilution of the sea water and at the same time allowed access to fresh water from the Necanicum River. This sheltered site also provided plenty of driftwood for fuel and there were nearby friendly natives to trade with for food and to provide companionship.

The expedition's journals contain a few hints about life at the Salt Works, but virtually nothing on the available shelter. The first report of the camp was made on January 5^th, 1806 when Clark reported information from Willard and Wiser "that the Salt makers . . . had established a Comfortable Camp, had killed an Elk and Several Deer and Secured a good Stock of Meat."¹ However, this did not last. On January 25^th, Lewis records information from Collins that they hunted "for five days without killing any thing and they had been obliged to subsist on some whale which they procured from the natives." The shortage of provisions at the salt works is mentioned several times in the succeeding weeks. On February 3, Clark reports "a very tegious operation that of makeing Salt, notwithstanding the Kittles are kept boiling day and night."

Tsin is tum (Jennie Michel) was one of the last few full-blooded Clatsop Indians. In 1904 she recorded an oral history on her recollections.² Although her exact age is controversial, she was born around 1816 and, as a child, often visited the site of the salt works with her mother. Her mother knew the men making the salt and said that the saltmakers lived in a "big tent a little way towards the mouth of the Necanicum from this place" [salt works].

Perhaps the most intriguing clue about the shelter at the salt works can be found in a 1913 letter from J. Q. A. Bowlby to Burr Osburn where Bowlby gives an eyewitness account of the shipwreck of the Shark in 1845.³ This is the ship that provided the namesake cannons of Cannon Beach. Bowlby states, "Nearby this landing there was an old shanty 12 X 12 feet, without any floor where the Sharks' Crew stopped for two nights . . . This Shanty that we stopped in on Clatsop Beach, we learned subsequently had been built by some of the Lewis & Clark men some forty years previous."

One last oral history that demonstrates the ingenuity of the expedition's members is found in another oral history given to Thomas McBride.⁴ On December 7, 1900, an elderly Indian woman, named Mrs. Solomon Smith, reported to McBride on his visit to the salt works that the men "had difficulty when they made salt in getting clear water at this place and that they brought a broken canoe from the Necanicum and corked it and kept it full of water in order to secure a supply of clear water."

References:

1.) Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition,
Vol. 6 November 2, 1805-March 22, 1806. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990.

2.) WPO, May 1986, P.21.

3) Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society Vol. 14, 1913.

4) The Proceedings of the Oregon Historical Society 1899-1900.

Send your L&C Q&A questions to:

Michael Carrick
671 Lamplighter Circle
Salem, OR 97302
toll-free fax: 1-888-394-7798
e-mail: mcarrick@teleport.com

Welcome To Our New Members!

With these additions we now boast a membership of 124 . . . and growing!

Anne D. Boutwell	Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce	Steven B. Dick
D.J. Dinsmore	Bob Elliott	Dennis Gilich
Frank Gruber	Dennis Hedges	Dave Huntington
Connie Johnson	Jim & Mary Johnson	Linda Nelson
Susan-Ann Nystrom	Don Popejoy	Aletha Gray Shannon
Lyn A. Trainer	Elizabeth D. Wittmer

Win a Magellan GPS 300
Magellan Corporation and LewisAndClarkTrail.com are searching for the best "Tales on the Trail." If you are traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail over the next 6 months (June 1 - December 1, 1999) send a picture and a story (200 words or less). LewisAndClarkTrail.com will select 12 "Tales" from the entries, and award 12 winners a Magellan GPS 300 Navigator. Your story and picture will appear on http://LewisAndClarkTrail.com/trailadventures/tales/index.htm.
For more information, visit web site: http://www.LewisAndClarkTrail.com

Please send your "Tale on the Trail" to:

LewisAndClarkTrail.com L.L.C
602 Augusta Circle
Yankton, South Dakota 57078

Lewis and Clark : An American Journey
by Daniel B. Thorp
Hardcover - 160 pages (December 1998)
Metro Books; ISBN: 1567995845
Dimensions (in inches): 2.67 x 11.91 x 9.08

Karwoski Book

Seaman : The Dog Who Explored the West With Lewis and Clark
by Gail Langer Karwoski, James Watling (Illustrator)
Paperback - 192 pages 1st edition (April 1999)
Peachtree Publishers; ISBN: 1561451908
Dimensions (in inches): 0.53 x 9.00 x 5.97
Reading level: Ages 9 - 12+

Botkin Book

Passage of Discovery : The American Rivers Guide to the Missouri River of Lewis and Clark
by Daniel B. Botkin
Paperback - 272 pages 1st edition (July 1999)
Perigee; ISBN: 0399525106

Morley Book

Across America : The Story of Lewis and Clark (Physical Science Labs)
by Jaqueline Morley, Joe Hosking (Illustrator)
Paperback - 32 pages (March 1999)
Franklin Watts, Incorporated; ISBN: 0531153428
Dimensions (in inches): 0.13 x 11.23 x 8.52
Reading level: Young Adult

The Herbarium of the Lewis & Clark Expedition (The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, V. 12) by Gary E. Moulton (Editor) Hardcover (June 1999) Univ of Nebraska Press; ISBN: 0803229313	The Saga of Lewis & Clark : Into the Unknown West by Thomas Schmidt, Jeremy Schmidt Hardcover 1st Amer . edition (October 1999) ISBN: 0789446383
Lewis and Clark's Journey of Discovery in American History (In American History) by Judith Edwards Library Binding (January 1999) Enslow Publishers, Inc.; ISBN: 0766011275	Lewis & Clark in the Bitterroot By The Discovery Writers (Jeanne Oneill, Katie White, Riga Winthrop, Diann Ladd, Jean Clary and Patricica B. Hastings) Hardcover (March 1999) Stoneydale Pr Pub Co; ISBN: 0912299762

Clark's Point of View Field Trip
Join Glen Kirkpatrick, Oregon Chapter member, and author of "The Rediscovery of Clark's Point of View" article in the February 1999 issue of We Proceeded On as we seek this elusive landmark. We will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday June 12^th, 1999 in the Indian Beach parking lot at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. A $3.00 per vehicle entrance fee is required. We will hike to the top of Tillamook Head (about 2 1/2 miles). Shuttle arrangements will be made for those who wish to continue over the headland to the north side. Bring lunch, water, binoculars, cameras, hiking boots and rain gear. Interesting discussions will be held and, if you can stay, dinner will be scheduled at a local restaurant. For additional information call Glen Kirkpatrick at (503) 761-3492.
1999 Chapter Benefit Dinner
Join Professor Gary E. Moulton, editor of the Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, in an exclusive evening celebrating the long-awaited publication of the Second Edition of the Expedition's Atlas. The event takes place on Friday, June 18^th, 1999 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The Governor Hotel, Library Room on the corner of S.W. 10^th & Alder in Portland, OR. The dinner and program is $60.00 per person. $30.00 of the price is tax-deductible and tickets will be held at the door. This event is being sponsored by Fort Clatsop Historical Association, Oregon Historical Society, Lewis & Clark Bicentenial in Oregon, Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Association, Lewis & Clark College and the Governor Hotel. Reservations must be received before June 10 by:

Keith Hay
15775 NE Ribbon Ridge Road
Newberg, OR 97132
(503) 538-0924

Activities for Lewis & Clark Buffs in the Columbia Gorge From information submitted by Pam Anderson, Washington Chapter Secretary

Question for the month - What is Opuntia polyacantha? Or Sagittaria latifolia? We know them as prickly pear cactus and wapato roots. On Saturday, July 17, join Dr. Gary Moulton for an educational and entertaining evening in the heart of the Columbia Gorge: The Garden of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Using slides, quotes from the Journals and anecdotes from his own research, Dr. Moulton will share the fascinating story of the expedition�s well-traveled botanical specimens. His lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. The Washington State Chapter is a co-sponsor of this lecture, along with the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, the Governor's [Washington State] Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, Skamania Lodge, & the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. The lecture is free & open to the public. We encourage attendees to make a voluntary donation while visiting the Center.

Dr. Moulton's lecture is one of three activities planned for July 17. The day includes an afternoon planning session (from 2:30 - 5:00 p.m. at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center) which will focus on planning future directions for the local chapters, their meetings and projects. One challenge in this planning process is the large number of agencies and groups involved in Lewis and Clark activities, understanding their common and separate missions and objectives, and finding our unique place in this fabric. This meeting is open to officers, boards and members of the Oregon, Washington and Idaho chapters as well other Lewis and Clark entities that may choose to attend Dr. Moulton's evening lecture at the Center. This will be an informal meeting in which we will try to identify our common interests and differences, and could be a step forward in communication and coordination among our various groups. Chapter members are most welcome to attend.

Another choice for members who plan to attend the lecture but who prefer a "hands-on" experience instead of the afternoon planning session is an excursion led by Don Popejoy along the Lewis and Clark Highway (State #14) to Beacon Rock State Park. Points of interest will be noted as we progress towards "Beaten Rock." At the park, we will hike to the top of this 848-foot monolith for a marvelous view of the Columbia River, the Gorge and the bottomlands. The trail, 4500 feet long, that we will follow to the summit includes 52 switchbacks and crosses 22 bridges! Captain Clark writes, "Beacon in the Gorge...my view...which from the last rapids widened and had every appearance of being effected by the tide...a remarkable high detached rock Stands in a bottom on the Stard. Side." It is here that they detected the tide waters of the Pacific. This eroded volcanic plug is the second largest monolith in the world, the Rock of Gibraltar being the tallest. Here at Beacon Rock, also called Beaten Rock by Lewis and Clark, Pillar Rock and Castle Rock, the river enters the lush, rain-soaked Pacific Northwest that the Corps of Discovery came to love so dearly!? Beacon Rock was also a landmark for Oregon Trail immigrants and for mariners, who once around Cape Horn looked eagerly for this beacon of safety. Lewis and Clark passed this way November 2nd, 1805, and again homeward bound April 6th, 1806, and noted at this time the water level being some 12 feet higher than in late fall! A tour booklet including a narrative, maps and photos will be available for $2.00, which will be donated to the Washington Chapter. Please be sure to wear long pants, hiking boots and bring water. The hike is not hard but will be an upward climb of one mile at a 15% grade. We will carpool, and if you have CB's, please bring them as a means to communicate on the drive to and from Beacon Rock. The group will assemble in the parking lot of the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center beginning at 12:30 and depart promptly at 1:00, returning at approximately 5:00 p.m.

August 1999 : Bismarck, ND Chapter Meeting

In conjunction with the 31^st Annual Meeting of the National Foundation, the Oregon Chapter will hold an impromptu chapter meeting. Watch the boards for an announcement of the day, time and room. Hope to see you there!

September 18, 1999 : Bonneville Dam Meeting

Further details on this meeting will be forthcoming in a future newsletter, but it is not too early to mark this event on your calendars. Chapter member Don Dinsmore of the Army Corps of Engineers will be o ur host at Bonneville Dam. Tentative plans are for the meeting to begin at 1:00 p.m. in the auditorium and to feature a slide show, a musical demonstration and a tour of the dam during the height of the salmon migration.

Pennsylvania Diary
By Lois Meessen, Corvallis.

It seems that Lewis and Clark enthusiasts will go to great lengths to connect with their heroes. My enthusiasm propelled me, via a Northwest Jet, across the continent from Oregon to Pennsylvania. I joined with others to see remarkable exhibits of artifacts, memorabilia, and photographs, and once again to hear Dayton Duncan, a favorite speaker, sing the praises of Lewis and Clark, as I and a few hundred guests dined with him. It was spring, more or less, in Oregon, but a below freezing wind howled about the streets of Scranton, where this March 21 - 22, 1999 meeting took place. Hosted by Robert Weir, Professor of Education at the University of Scranton, and in conjunction with the meetings of the Philadelphia and the Ohio River Chapters (Frank Muhly and Jon Stealey presidents respectively), this event was an opener for the Bicentennial celebrations to come. The exhibits were eye-openers too. Bob Weir has been collecting Lewis and Clark memorabilia for years--from the 100th anniversary celebration, the 1904 exposition in Portland, to this day. Tastefully mounted in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library at the University of Scranton, the extraordinary articles were combined with other unusual artifacts belonging to a descendant of William Clark, namely Peyton "Bud" Clark--(no, not the former mayor of Portland!). To add to our pleasure, Jon Stealey's exceptionally beautiful gelatin silver photographic prints, Artists Proofs, of sites along the Lewis and Clark trail were also on exhibit. By the year 2003 he will have completed about 125 panoramic prints, taken over a ten year period, to be published in book form. We will be fortunate, sometime in the future, when the Weir, Clark, and Stealey exhibits come to Portland.

Lewis and Clark are feted in other ways as well. For having traveled the farthest to attend the meeting, Bob Weir recognized this Oregon Chapter member by giving me two L & C Milk Chocolate Candy bars, and introducing me at the dinner! It was through the kind invitation of my hosts, Walt and Jean Jones, that I attended these Pennsylvania events, and like our WPO editor Marty Erickson, got in on a Philadelphia walk, similar to the one he describes in the February 1999 WPO magazine. Frank Muhly has identified 71 sites in Philadelphia associated with Meriwether Lewis. Perhaps our Oregon Chapter, along with the Washington Chapter members, will track down and mark other sites along the way which are yet to be discovered. Enthusiasm does indeed take us to great lengths.

"I hesitated a moment & view this emence mountain the top of which was obscured in the clouds" - Clark, January 7^th, 1806

Lake Sacajawea, Longview: Statue Project Sacajawea Statue

Those of you who attended the April 25^th meeting in Longview, WA, were able to view this small rendition of a statue to be placed on the banks of Lake Sacajawea. Artist Tag Richards is now starting work on the full size model and it is hoped that the statue will be in place by November 2000. Wendy Kosloski of the Longview Public Service Group is trying to raise $160,000 to support this project. Donations are welcomed. You can contact:

Wendy Kosloski c/o:
Longview Public Service Group
1339 Commerce Avenue, Suite 104
Longview, WA 98632

Youth Achievement Award

This award is presented annually to persons under the age of 21 who have increased their knowledge of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through outstanding composition, art, drama, photography, site preservation and enhancement, or other significant contributions. Nominations may be made to the chair of the Young Adults Committee. Recipients receive a framed certificate, a subscription to We Proceeded On, recognition at the Foundation's annual meeting and in We Proceeded On. If you know of an individual or group who should be considered for this award, submit a written nomination to:

William Jenkins, Young Adults Committee Chair
7719 E. Vernon Ave.
Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Please include any supporting materials (project summary, photos, descriptions, etc.), any recognition the project has received (prizes, awards, special display), the name of the individual or group, their address and telephone number and contact information for the person who is submitting the nomination. This year's nomination should be received before June 15, 1999. Winner(s) will be announced prior to the 1999 Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.'s annual meeting.

Your Oregon Chapter Officers

President: Keith Hay 15775 NE Ribbon Ridge Road Newberg, OR 97132 (503) 538-0924	Vice-President: Dr. Robert Holcomb 365 Mistletoe Circle Corvallis, OR 97330
Secretary: Jay Rasmussen 1190 NE Birchaire Lane Hillsboro, OR 97124 (503) 640-9493	Treasurer: Linda O'Connor 14940 SW Hillsboro Hwy. Hillsboro, OR 97123

For information on joining the National Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation click here.

For information on joining the Oregon State Chapter click here.

Return to Oregon State Chapter Main Page

Return to L & C Archive List

Updated: February 7, 2000

Send Questions, Comments and Corrections to Jay Rasmussen

Oregon Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation

June 1999 Newsletter : Vol. 1, No. 3

Oregon Chapter of the
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation