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Dear Friends of Lewis & Clark, I apologize for the late newsletter. We had stormy weather, a funeral, and other events; and I have been busy with research and preparing to give some talks. I need to have a good stretch of a couple of days to write this newsletter, so here it is. First the good news:
The Portage Route Chapter will rebate $145 of meeting costs
The Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation is giving a rebate to anyone attending the annual meeting if you join their chapter and are a member of the national foundation. I sent in a $30 check, and I will get $145 returned to me. See below for details. The postmark deadline is Monday, July 14th.
Reunion 1 at Nebraska City, July 19
I will be signing books and giving a talk at the MRB Nebraska City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on Saturday, July 19th. My talk is on The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Murder or Suicide?, at 2 PM.
White Catfish Event, July 27
On Sunday, July 27th, I will be giving a talk on Lewis and Clark Day Trips at 10 AM at the Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs.
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Retail Orders: It's time to stock up on the Lewis and Clark Road Trips!
Planning to travel the trail? Consult our website Trip Planner with links to the websites of over 800 destinations featured in our book.
Kira kira@lewisandclarktravel.com
www.lewisandclarkroadtrips.com Newletter Archives
2007 Meritorious Achievement Award
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
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1850 Lewis grave exhumation and monument committee report
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In 1850, the commission charged with erecting the monument over Meriwether Lewis's gravesite made a report to the Tennessee State Legislature. In this report they stated that they had opened the grave and examined his upper torso, in order to determine that they had located the right gravesite. Later in the report they made the following statement:
"The impression has long prevailed that under the influence of disease and body--of hopes based upon long and valuable services--not merely deferred but wholly disappointed--Governor Lewis perished by his own hands. It seems to be more probable that he died by the hands of an assassin."
To read the full transcript of the report, visit my blog, Was Meriwether Lewis Assassinated? The 1850 Grave Exhumation Report.
I have also posted a Microsoft Word document of the report in the Forum under Trail Travel & Photos for Region 10, New Orleans and the Natchez Trace.
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Lost portraits of William Clark sought
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 Carolyn Gilman, the special projects historian at the Missouri Historical Society has responded to our May feature story "Unknown Portraits of Lewis and Clark Found" with information about both of the portraits and a request for help in locating the painting of William Clark.
In 1954 the painting was still in the St Louis area because the Missouri History Museum took a photo of it then (seen here). The record states:
"William Clark painting owned by Mrs. William Bryce, purchased from the estate of Eleanor Glasgow Voorhis."
The readership of this newsletter may know something about it--I have come to expect that you often have valuable information--and I will also put it out on the great world wide web as a blog.
Carolyn is the author of one of my favorite books, Lewis and Clark Across the Divide,which is the catalog of the exhibit of over 400 original Lewis and Clark artifacts which toured during the bicentennial years. (You can buy it through the Best General Books section of the website bookstore.) In her book Carolyn wrote about the missing painting (page 358) and says "two copies were apparently owned by the Voorhis family." So we have a double chance of locating it.
Analetic Magazine and Naval Chronicle portrait of Lewis
 Carolyn identifies this sketch as an engraving of the Lewis portrait made by the artist Charles St. Memin. I wasn't aware until now that there were two portraits of Lewis made by Memin; one in 1803, and the other after the expedition, in 1807.
Memin, a royalist refuge from the French revolution used a gadget called a "physiognotrace" to make an accurate profile. Joe Musselman's website, Discovering Lewis & Clark has an interesting article on Memin's portrait. It features a small round miniature of Lewis by Memin. This is the image on which the above sketch is based.
Jennifer Clark, Archivist at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, suggested it was a crude sketch of the 1803 portrait (below,top left). The picture was reproduced in The Daily American newspaper of Nashville on September 6, 1891, which reported the portrait came from Alalectic Magazine and Naval Chronicle of 1816.
 Alaletic/Analectic
Several readers came to my rescue regarding the word "Alalectic" as reported in the Nashville newspaper. It was a mispelling of analectic. (Analectic means relating to "analects" or "selections." The example given is "an analectic magazine." I bet almost every one of us now knows a new word!)
 Two persons tied in getting back to me: my cousin Ella Mae Floren and Joe Mussulman. Ella Mae is a genealogist and Joe has a great website. Carolyn Gilman also knew the right word. Edith L. Macdonald got back to me with Antiqbook.com, a source for buying a copy of the magazine for only $100: "a lovely copy for its age and quite readable."
The mystery is solved
C.O. Patterson, a Lone Star Chapter Member in Texas, just sent me a copy of the 1816 publication, in which the editor writes about the engraving. The editor stated: "The gentleman who lent it to us remained here but a short time and was obliged to take it with him: to which circumstance it is owing that our engraving from it is not executed in so good a style as we could have wished. But that engraving is a faithful copy of the original, which is believed to be the only likeness of captain Lewis now extant."
Thanks to our Texas reader, we now have the historical primary source that settles the matter. Now let's find the painting(s)!
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Annual Meeting $145 Rebate Offer ends 7/14
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If you are already signed up to attend the 40th annual meeting (August 10-13), you will have an unexpected financial bonus of $145, if you join the Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the host chapter of the annual meeting being held at Great Falls, Montana. They are offering to pay half the cost of the $350 registration fee for the annual meeting, or $175, if you join their chapter at the $30 contributing membership level. This offer applies to either one person, or one household. ($175 minus $30 equals $145.)
Last Minute Decision?
If you haven't signed up, and you want to attend the annual meeting you may still take advantage of this offer by joining the national foundation and the Portage Route Chapter: send in your applications postmarked by July 14, 2008. The cost of an annual membership for the Trail Heritage Foundation is $30/student, $49/individual, $65/family.
Send your check(s) to Rebecca West. The $30 one should be made out to the Portage Route Chapter. Call 1-888-701-3434 for more info.
Rebecca West, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
P O Box 3434 Great Falls MT 59404
Teacher Workshop
I plan to attend some of the Teacher Workshop sessions. I think Biddle will be taking care of the table most of the time. I am not a teacher, but I know that this is where American history gets taught, and I am really interested in what will be happening here.
Biddle Clothes and Bears for sale
Betty Smallen is making pants, shirts, vests, hats and carry bags for Biddle. We will hold our first Biddle meeting at Great Falls. I will ship Biddles and Lynch Dawgs so you don't have to tote them home.
Multiple tour offerings
I have signed up to go on the half day hike to Sacagawea's Sulphur Springs. The Portage Route Chapter has made an unusual decision to offer a variety of half day and full day tour choices on Tuesday, August 12th. As a tour planner, I think that is a very neat and good decision.
The meeting formula
We drift in on Sunday, while all the national and local organization people have already been meeting. (If we want to, we can attend the fund raising banquet on Saturday night.) The meeting starts on Sunday at dinner and continues through Wednesday. All meals are included from Sunday dinner through Wednesday. On Tuesday we spend all day touring. There are also pre and post meeting tours for additional costs. This is the fun of the annual meeting: the tours, the programs and the fellowship. A lot of people will be floating down the Missouri River at this meeting!
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Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs' book preview 7/15
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Stephanie, the daughter of the late historian Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage, will give a sneak preview of her upcoming book, Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day Off and Other Lessons from the Lewis and Clark Trail. She will be appearing at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Gary Moulton, the editor of the Lewis and Clark Journals has his offices. The talk and reception will begin at 3 PM on Tuesday, July 15th. The address is 1155 Q St, Lincoln.
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Tuesdays with a Twist at the Confluence 7/15
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The Confluence Greenway organization is a network of conservation, recreation and heritage attractions at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. On Tuesday, July 15th, they are sponsoring a guided bike ride across the new McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Trestle crossing the Mississippi from St. Louis to the Illinois side of the river. The 7 mile family friendly ride will start at 14th St and St. Louis Avenue in Old North St. Louis, from 6-8:15 PM.
Visit their website to see the impressive list of activities and events they host and participate in.
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Forum posts and prizes for posting
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The forums are now much easier to use.The new Forums are:
Welcome and General Posts and Chats: Tell Us About Yourself
Trail Travel & Photos (10 regions)
Links to Trail Photo Websites and Videos
Lewis and Clark Program Presenters
Lewis and Clark Creative Corner (writers, artists, musicians)
Lewis and Clark for Teachers
Lewis and Clark for Students
Favorite Lewis and Clark Websites and Books
Biddle the Bear
Prizes for 10, 20, and more posts
10 posts: one autographed copy of Lewis and Clark Road Trips mailed to the recipient of your choice.
20 posts: one Biddle Buddy Bear or one set of clothes for Biddle mailed to the recipient of your choice.
The forums automatically keep track of the number of your postings.
Featured Posts:
A visit to Tavern Cave Ken Jutzi posts issues of the California chapter's newsletter. In this issue there is an account of Tavern Cave in Missouri and of the chapter's visit to Auburn, California where Jean Baptise Charbonneau once lived, including a visit to "Murderer's Bar."
The Chickasaw Agency Liz Clare is posting essays relating to their first book, To the Ends of the Earth, and their current research. Another essay is on Pigeon Roost Road, about Lewis's last journey and the billions of passenger pigeons that once covered our land.
Lewis and Clark Trailhead Plaza Dedication and Corps of Discovery Statues a Big Success! Bill Stine has continued to post on the marvelous statues that now stand near the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. Click on a photo to enlarge it and see the full details.
Lewis and Clark Monument Bluff, Pioneer Park Sculptures and Joslyn Art Museum: A Lewis and Clark Day Trip I made a posting to go with my blog about Hard Heart's Trading Posts. The photos I resized at 6 x 4 inches, 100 dpi, if you are curious. Here is a link to the blog with the history about Ioway Chief Hard Heart and his trading posts in downtown Omaha and the Monument Bluff.
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New Lewis & Clark group for NE/IA/SD/KS -- July 24th organizational meeting
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Friends of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, the Nebraska group that planned the First Council Signature Event at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park in 2004, is holding an organizational meeting at National Park Service Headquarters in downtown Omaha on Thursday, July 24th, from 10-2 PM. The building is located at 601 Riverfront Drive at Lewis and Clark Landing.
The purpose is to determine if there is an interest in forming a new expanded version of the old Nebrasa/Iowa Coordinating Council. The mission would be to promote and market the Lewis and Clark Trail in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and parts of South Dakota.
The new organization would also maintain a database of site information and raise funds for various projects with schools and public agencies.
The Friends President is Jim Swenson; Dick Williams is Vice-President; and John Slader is Secretary & Treasurer. Please contact any one of them for more information and to RSVP by July 17th.
Jim Swenson (402) 789-7007 jim.swenson@ngpc.ne.gov
Dick Williams (402) 330-5119 RNWilliams2@gmail.com
John Slader (402) 468-5611 Fort.Atkinson@ngpc.ne.gov
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Please contact me with news, corrections, suggestions; and for how to order autographed copies of Lewis and Clark Road Trips with personal messages.
The top photo is of a buffalo sculpture rounding the corner at the First National Bank of Omaha's Spirit of Nebraska's Wilderness
Park, one of the world's largest outdoor sculpture exhibits.
Sincerely,
Kira Gale
River Junction Press LLC kira@lewisandclarktravel.com
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Lewis and Clark
Road Trips
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The perfect gift for someone planning to travel the trail
Personally autographed copies available
$29.95 plus $8.95 s&h
Pay by mail by personal check
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Lewis and Clark Road Trips: Exploring the Trail Across America by Kira Gale
$29.95, 274 pages, 161 maps, over 400 photos, full color "Reference books do not get any better than this one. It should be on every library shelf in every nook and cranny of America. It should be in the personal library of every Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and 4-H Leader." --John R. Wunder Nebraska HistoryAmazon Affiliate Bookstore |
Featured Sales Outlets
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If you are selling Lewis and Clark Road Trips, and are not on this list, send me an email. If you want to sell the book, visit our retail orders.
Mississippi Crafts Center Ridgeland MS
National Park Service Bookstore Omaha NE
Headwaters Heritage Museum & Gift Shoppe Three Rivers MT
Blackfeet Nation Store Browning MT
John Heinz History Center Pittsburgh PA
Powell's Store Rare Books Section Lewis and Clark Portland OR
Columbia River Gateway Bookstore Cape Disappointment Ilwaco WA
Fort Clatsop Bookstore Astoria Oregon
Skamokawa Center Skamokawa Washington
Garst Museum Greenville Ohio
Appaloosa Museum, Moscow Idaho
Great River Road
Interpretive Center, Ste Genevieve, Missouri
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Gateway Arch, St Louis Missouri
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General Crook House Omaha Nebraska General Dodge House Council Bluffs IowaLewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, St Charles MissouriMissouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Center, Nebraska City NebraskaKreycik Riverview Elk and Buffalo Ranch, Niobrara NebraskaDakota Dinosaur Museum Dickinson, North DakotaLog Cabin Visitors' Center Vincennes IndianaCottonwoods Gift Shop, Fort Mandan Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn North DakotaArt's Sleeping Buffalo Resort Store, Malta MontanaKlein Museum, Mobridge South DakotaPortage Cache Store Lewis and Clark National Historic Interpetive Center Great Falls MontanaSquire Boone Caverns near Historic Corydon, IndianaAtchison Visitor Information Center, Atchison KansasMuseum of the American Quilter's Society, Paducah KentuckyWestern Historic Trails Center, Council Bluffs IowaStore of Discovery, Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, Hartford Illinois |
The Lewis and Clark Trail Bear
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Our Biddle Buddy Bear
16 inch pot belly bear machine wash & dry
$36.95 plus s&h
Pay by mail by personal check
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Biddle attends Study Group at Western Historic Trails Center
Betty with Biddle, who is wearing a prototype hat, which needs a feather. He is sitting on a cooler of jars of rhubarb strawberry jam made by Florence.
Florence is petting a buffalo at the First National Bank Spirit of the Wilderness Park.
My Biddle is sitting on top of some of the books devoted to the current book project.
He now has the hat.
Biddle passed out brochures at the Lewis and Clark children's art wall in Bellevue, Nebraska on National Trails Day
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