Jerry Brown: Cruise Ship Cruises Lewis And Clark Expedition Route For Anniversary
The 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a two-year national celebration culminating in November, has focused public attention on the Columbia River, at whose mouth the historic trek ended in the winter of 1805. Following in the footsteps - or the wake - of those intrepid explorers, as I did recently on Cruise West's small ship Spirit of '98, on a round-trip cruise from Portland, brought life and color to a tale that I had heard before, but which I had pretty much marginalized.
A simple recitation of the facts does not do justice to the significance of the 8,000-mile round-trip journey of the two soldiers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their names are woven into the fabric of American history. At the behest of President Jefferson, they led a party of 45, collectively known as the Corps of Discovery, on a journey of exploration into the Pacific Northwest, an area about which little was known other than the fact that it was rich in animal furs and minerals and inhabited by frequently hostile natives.
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This particular itinerary is heavily larded with Lewis and Clark sites. They are featured in the museum at Fort Walla Walla, Wash., and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Ilwaco, Ore. Our tour also included Fort Clatsop at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park in Warrenton, Ore., where the expedition endured the miserable, hungry, frozen winter of 1805-'06 before making its way back east, a land hike that took them nine months or so. Unfortunately, a recent fire destroyed the 50-year-old replica of the fort, despite the efforts of volunteer firefighters. The fort is expected to be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the Fort Clatsop Interpretive Center remains open, and Cruise West officials said the line's ships will continue to visit.
The Columbia River is not only a study in the history of two centuries ago. It also is an example of the modern exploits of the Army Corps of Engineers, which, starting in 1930, built a series of locks, lifting and lowering the Spirit of '98 and other river traffic a total of about 740 feet above sea level, taming a river that must have been a nightmare for Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery to navigate. They'd no doubt be impressed by what river travelers encounter today.
A simple recitation of the facts does not do justice to the significance of the 8,000-mile round-trip journey of the two soldiers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Their names are woven into the fabric of American history. At the behest of President Jefferson, they led a party of 45, collectively known as the Corps of Discovery, on a journey of exploration into the Pacific Northwest, an area about which little was known other than the fact that it was rich in animal furs and minerals and inhabited by frequently hostile natives.
...
This particular itinerary is heavily larded with Lewis and Clark sites. They are featured in the museum at Fort Walla Walla, Wash., and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Ilwaco, Ore. Our tour also included Fort Clatsop at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park in Warrenton, Ore., where the expedition endured the miserable, hungry, frozen winter of 1805-'06 before making its way back east, a land hike that took them nine months or so. Unfortunately, a recent fire destroyed the 50-year-old replica of the fort, despite the efforts of volunteer firefighters. The fort is expected to be rebuilt. Meanwhile, the Fort Clatsop Interpretive Center remains open, and Cruise West officials said the line's ships will continue to visit.
The Columbia River is not only a study in the history of two centuries ago. It also is an example of the modern exploits of the Army Corps of Engineers, which, starting in 1930, built a series of locks, lifting and lowering the Spirit of '98 and other river traffic a total of about 740 feet above sea level, taming a river that must have been a nightmare for Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery to navigate. They'd no doubt be impressed by what river travelers encounter today.