Located between Waitsburg and Dayton, Lewis and Clark Trail State Park commemorates the overland route of Lewis and Clark through our state. The festivities begin at 12:00 noon with a potluck lunch. You'll need to bring your own food and utensils. If you wish to grill food, bring your own wood. A kitchen shelter with a wood grill and cold water sink has been reserved for us on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, Gary will have a camp set up just across the road from the park, where he will gladly welcome visitors to his Lewis and Clark-era retreat. He has many tools, cookware and weapons in his collection and, upon request, will demonstrate his Harpers Ferry 1803 Flintlock. He will also have several pots of food cooking over the campfire. If you'd like to try elk stew or fry bread (fried in bear fat), you will need to bring something to barter—blue beads, mirrors, sea shells, etc. Read the journals! Chances are the more creative your barter, the bigger your portion of food.

After lunch, we'll all report for "sick call" as Gary fascinates us with a talk on the medical aspects of the expedition. How did they manage without antibiotics and pain pills, anyway?

Beginning around 2:30 we'll depart for a tour of area Lewis and Clark campsites, to be led by local historian George Touchette. George and Gary have been collaborating on regional Lewis and Clark research, and George is also an expert on the Nez Perce Trail. We'll carpool from the park to the Bolles site just west of Waitsburg, then come back east with a stop in Dayton, then on to the Patit Creek campsite. At Patit Creek you will see the lay of the land much as our heroes saw it. From this spot the Indian trail taken by the expedition can clearly be seen. There are local efforts to mark the site with a sign and turnout in time for the bicentennial.

On Sunday, you might want to take in the fun at Waitsburg's Bruce Mansion Days, a fundraising event to help maintain that historic building. Speaking of historic buildings, Waitsburg and Dayton are both full of them. Take a leisurely drive through these towns and picture these stately homes as some of the first built in this corner of the fledgling Washington Territory.

Lewis and Clark State Park is located on U.S. Route 12 (State Route 124) approximately 55 miles east of Pasco. For those who wish to camp, there will be plenty of room at the park. The fee is $7.00 for tents and RVs. There is a heated restroom, but no showers. If you desire other arrangements, please see the following list for Dayton and Waitsburg. Also, Walla Walla is only 30 miles away and offers still more choices.

On July 17, the Chapter participated in three activities at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Don Popejoy led a field trip to historic sites in the vicinity and a hike to the top of Beacon Rock. Rain in the morning may have reduced participation, but seven people were present for the field trip and three more joined the group at Beacon Rock. The event brought the chapter $44 in the form of two new memberships, a donation, and contributions for copies of the trip notes prepared by Don. The value of our Web site was illustrated here in that two new members were recruited through contacts through the Internet. In the afternoon, a joint meeting of the Washington, Idaho and Oregon chapters focused on other participants and planning for L&C activities for the bicentennial and the future. There are tens if not hundreds of L&C interests in the Northwest and most have their own objectives. Our Chapter needs to carefully select its activities to find our separate place in this environment. We discussed tri-state cooperation: (1) to organize regional symposia to focus on various facets of the L&C heritage (for example, building on the example of the lecture given that evening by Dr. Gary Moulton); (2) to collaborate in seeking grants to accomplish heritage purposes that others cannot or will not do; (3) to consider preparation of a northwest brochure or guidebook with emphasis on history/heritage vs. tourism efforts. We also briefly discussed methods to approach the native peoples and their sovereign nations to better understand interactions and contributions made toward the success of the L&C expedition. It also was suggested that we need to look at how the L&C expedition relates to the succeeding historical developments in the Columbia Basin. And finally we noted that bicentennial activities need to be evaluated in terms of their contributions to continuity of the heritage.

  The evening lecture by Dr. Gary Moulton focused on the botanical collections of the Expedition—the subject of Volume 12 to be published later this year. Dr. Moulton described the collections made by Lewis and the Expedition and the fate of the specimens brought back. Surprisingly enough, most of the specimens still exist and were found through some amazing detective work by the several scientists who have studied them. Work on the comprehensive index for the journals is in progress, and Dr. Moulton has completed his work on this ambitious 13-volume project. He is now working on a one-volume condensation of this edition of the journals-and that work is part of his work plan for his tenure at Fort Clatsop this summer.

Plans for the September 18 meeting were announced during the afternoon. "Doc" Wesselius and Cheryl Essary have worked with Gary Lentz and Muff Donahue to develop an interesting program. This will be a joint meeting with the Idaho chapter. It will feature a potluck picnic at the Lewis and Clark Trail State Park near Waitsburg on Highway 12 with trail food prepared by Gary Lentz (bring your barter), a lecture on the overland portion of the trail nearby, and a field trip to visit sites on the trail. Gary, and perhaps our program committee, will be in period clothing for the event. Some of us plan to arrive Friday evening and camp at the park overnight. I hope to see many of you there.

On a personal note, I recently returned from a trip to Montana that had a number of L&C coincidences. I visited a friend who has a ranch perched on a shelf on the northeast edge of the Highwood Mountains. The ranch porch looks north to the Missouri River where Clark first saw these mountains on 25 May 1805. And on the next day Lewis may have mistaken the Highwoods for the Rocky Mountains when he climbed to a high point nearby. A few days later, we went trout fishing on the Big Blackfoot River between Lincoln and Missoula. On the first evening we camped on Monture Creek not far from where Lewis camped on July 6, 1806—a creek that Lewis originally named for his dog Seaman. There have been questions about that spelling of the dog's name, but Lewis uses that spelling as does Clark's map (p 92, footnotes 11 & 12, p 92; and Fig 4, p 105 of Moulton's Vol 8).

And in a contemporary vein, the nearby small town (population about 50) of Ovando is struggling to survive, and uses a large yellow and black sign with the Foundation silhouette logo to attract tourists to their town. On July 13,1999, the Great Falls Tribune had a story by James Hagengruber headlined "Ovando's Renaissance Key to Its Survival" that said "Meriwether Lewis passed through the site of the town on his return east in 1806, and Fly (community leader and owner of the Blackfoot Commercial Co.) hopes the U.S. Forest Service will build an interpretive center near the town. Fly said this will draw business for the town as tourists will pass through retracing the Lewis and Clark expedition for the bicentennial beginning in four years." Here I do not mean to denigrate the town's effort to survive, but the story makes clear that many view the bicentennial more as an opportunity for economic development than as a continuing Heritage—my principle argument with the bicentennial.

Returning to Stevenson from Great Falls for the meeting on the 17^th, I followed MT Rt 200 which parallels Lewis' overland route in 1806, US Hwy 12 over the Bitterroot Mountains to Lewiston/Clarkston, and then down the Columbia River on WA Hwy 14. These routes cover a part of the trail where the landscape remains similar to that seen by Lewis and Clark and always leaves me in awe of the Expedition’s adventure in its travel through the area.

Finally, thank you Penny Hunt for your interest and input concerning focus for the Washington Chapter. I agree with you that the History and our Heritage from the expedition are its most important products. The communication of these to the public, and especially to young people, should be our principal focus. Again PLEASE let me and your Board members have your input! Keep sending those cards, letters and e-mails! They do help!

Murray Hayes
936 Cameron Road
Sequim, WA 98382
Phone: (360) 582-1069
email: mlhayes@olypen.com

Like last year's Labor Day exploration, this event is organized so non-campers and those with passenger cars can attend. Everyone will "pool" their rigs for day trips since some vehicles may not be suitable for some of the roads.

The Heart of the Lolo Trail with Triple "O" Outfitters: Harlan and Barb Opdahl have a base camp in the center of the Lolo Trail that is reached over Saddle Camp Road (a good gravel road). The camp has several buildings and many tents and they can feed a lot of people. You have the choice of sleeping in your own RV, pitching a tent, or using one of the Triple "O"s tents (bring your own sleeping bag). Everyone will eat the outfitter's grub. No cooking or KP! Cost is $40/day/person for food or $65/day/person for food and lodging.

Expedition Agenda: Friday night, Sept. 3: No planned meals. Campfire and stories while awaiting late arrivals.

Saturday, Sept. 4: Travel east to Lolo Pass and Glade Creek camp, observe where they descended on the wrong trail and visit Colt Killed Camp. Proceed back to the Motorway to Rocky Ridge Lookout for a tremendous view of the area. Visit camps such as 13 Mile Camp, Snowbank Camp and others. Back in camp for dinner and campfire. Sunday,

Sept. 5: Visit Indian Post Office in the morning. Hike to Lonesome Cove or view peeled trees. While returning to camp, view alternative route theories: Which way did they go? Moccasin Peak or Horseshoe Creek? Back in camp by 3 for an early dinner. After dinner, take an evening horseback ride ($25) or walk the 3-mile trail that visits the Sinque Hole, Indian Grave Meadow (the probable campsite instead of Sinque Hole) and visit the Smoking Place at sunset. Back to camp for a late snack and campfire. Monday, Sept. 6: Head for home. There will be a caravan west over the Motorway to come out at Weippe or Kamiah catching some of the sites on the west side of the Clearwater National Forest. If it is a clear day, a hike up Sherman Peak will be included.

Finding the base camp: Travel east on Highway 12 from Lewiston (about 3-1/2 hours) to Mile Post 139 (the green numbered paddles on the side of the road) or about 60 miles east of Kooskia. This is Saddle Camp Road, #107. Turn north (left for those traveling up river). Saddle Camp Road is a good gravel road. Stay on the main road for about a half hour to 45 minutes when you reach Saddle Camp at the junction of the #500 Road. Actually, this is a 5-way intersection. Take the 2^nd left or Road #587. Proceed about 15 minutes to the Idaho Chapter’s camp on the right. They’ll have signs to guide you. This is a good gravel road and the discussion below does not apply.

Driving the 500 Road - You and Your Vehicle: Tires are the greatest limitation on the 500 road with passenger cars. "Highway" tires designed for lightness to obtain good mileage break cords on this rocky road. Other limitations include clearance which usually only affects very low cars. Motorhomes will be swept by overhanging trees and brush and by rocks on tight turns. The road is single lane with turnouts to allow passing, but there are sections of more than one-half mile without any turnouts. Drivers should be able to back ¼ mile comfortably to a turnout using their mirrors. Uphill traffic has the right-of-way. On the expeditions from base camp, we will "car pool" to aid discussions and to reduce congestion on these narrow roads. If you have a large passenger-carrying rig (van, Suburban, etc.), please bring it.

[Note: The above information was copied from the Idaho Chapter's newsletter.]