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Dear Friends of Lewis & Clark,  I am now writing the part of the book that I am co-authoring with Jim Starrs. It concerns the last three years of Meriwether Lewis's life and the activities of General James Wilkinson and others during that same time period, 1806-09. The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation will be published by my press, River Junction Press LLC in April, 2009. The other part of the book contains the coroner's inquest testimony of the 13 forensic sciences experts and historians who testified at the inquest held at Hohenwald, Tennessee in 1996.
Biddle Bears are on sale for $25! I have decided that it silly to match the retail price of these bears, which sell for $37 in stores. I will lose a little money because I had to invest in red kerchiefs, embroidery and shipping cartons, but I want to share Biddles. So if you would like to order one or more for gift giving or keeping, just drop me an email. I also have given up on the complexities of PayPal (from my end of it). I will ship with an invoice including shipping charges.
Dave Pidcock sent in an article with photos for me to use. I would appreciate more contributions!
Kira kira@lewisandclarktravel.com Newsletter Archive
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Planning to travel the trail? Consult our website Trip Planner with links to the websites of over 800 destinations featured in our book.
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Heroic rescue at Lewis & Clark event
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 Two young girls, Katie Hoffman age 11, and her cousin, Andrea Spencer age 9, almost drowned on the Missouri River float trip at the Great Falls annual meeting in August. The current issue of The Orderly Report, the newsletter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation has a full account of their dramatic rescue. The incident happened when a raft carrying seven people flipped over. Five people, including the girls, went into a whirlpool under a shelf of rock. They were rescued by Russ Waring, who saved them from the whirlpool before saving himself.
In the last issue of Proceeding On I provided a link to photos of the Biddle Twins that were posted on our Biddle forum by their grandparents, Stan and Nancy Spencer. The girls each acquired a Biddle Bear after their narrow escape. I am sure that we are all very thankful that Katie and Andrea are none the worse for their experience, as can be seen by this delightful photo! To see more Biddle twins photos, visit the Biddle the Bear Forum.
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The Yankton Discovery Bridge
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 The Yankton Discovery Bridge will be dedicated on October 11, 2008. The ceremony will start around 11:30 on the Nebraska side and then move to the South Dakota side. Our friends at the Shannon Trail Promoters will be having a picnic on Friday night. Please contact Laurie Larsen at
lklarsen_72@gpcom.net for more info. Those of you who have been reading this newsletter since its beginning will remember the campaign to name the bridge for Shannon. "Discovery" is a nice compromise. Congratulations!
The bridge replaces an old bridge and is a continuation of Highway 81 which is also known as the "Pan-American Highway." The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Welcome Center is located at Crofton, Nebraska on Highway 81 ten miles south of the bridge. If you want to have a vacation in a beautiful and unspoiled landscape this is the place to visit. There are many wonderful Lewis and Clark and Native American attractions. Here is a link to my website trip planner which provides links to ten attractions in northeastern Nebraska. After you explore these, be sure to check out the surrounding area.
Laurie informs me that the Shannon Trail received a Nebraska Tourism grant to promote the Northeastern Nebraska area with 3 sixty second commercials that will air in the Outdoorsmen Show in 7 states and on local cable tv. To learn about the George Shannon Trail, which is one of the most creative tourist attractions on the entire Lewis and Trail, visit the Shannon Trail website.
List of crossings of the Missouri River
What would we all do without Google and Wikipedia? Here is a link to a Wikipedia listing of all the bridges crossing the Missouri, including their lat-longs and locations. How many bridges have you crossed?
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Bob Kerrey walking bridge near NPS hdqtrs.
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 We walked across the brand new Bob Kerrey "bridge to somewhere" yesterday. The bridge opened last week, after years of opposition to the project. But we could see that the many people trying out the bridge thought it was great. There is something very satisfying about walking across the Missouri, seeing the beautiful views, and realizing that Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa are truly joined together. Omaha has recently redeveloped its downtown riverfront in a spectacular fashion, and Council Bluffs is busy with many improvements to the park land and trails on its side of the river.
Our Mouth of the Platte Chapter named the Lewis and Clark Landing adjacent to the bridge, and the National Park Regional Office, where the Lewis and Clark National Trail headquarters is located is right next door to the bridge. Bob Kerrey is the former Senator from Nebraska who is now the President of New York University. He fought for years for this bridge as part of the "Back to the River" movement. All of you across the country who have worked so hard on similar projects deserve to be congratulated.
 
MOP member Carl Camp volunteers his services down at NPS headquarters (shown here). The building has exhibits on its main floor, a large bookstore, and serves as a welcome center.
Carl is a retired University of Nebraska Omaha professor who has developed a deep expertise on Lewis and Clark matters. Carl is the one who wrote the definitive article in WPO about what happened to that iron boat! (To not leave you in suspense, I will reveal his theory--the boat was dug up and carried back to the Mandan Villages where its iron was used with the blacksmith equipment that the Corps of Discovery gave to the Mandan-Hidatsa. I think Carl is exactly right, and that it was so obvious to the journal writers they never even thought to mention it.)
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Grizzly bear statue on River's Edge Trail
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 DEDICATION TO DON KENCZKA
On Wednesday, September 24, 2008 about 75 people gathered at the River's Edge Trail next to the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana for dedication ceremonies honoring Don R. Kenczka, a retired biology teacher from C. M. Russell High School in Great Falls. Don retired a few years ago and was extremely well liked by both students and parents alike. Don passed away in November, 2006. A large grizzly sculpture created by local sculptor Nathan Bread was dedicated in Don's name at the exact spot on River's Edge Trail where Meriwether Lewis was attacked by a grizzly on June 14, 1805. (submitted by Dave Pidcock, Portage Route Chapter)
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Sacagawea statue returns to Fort Clatsop
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 The statue of Sacagawea and Pomp that was stolen by metal thieves in January, 2008 has been replaced. It is now located near the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center and under a 24/7 security camera watch. The cost of replacement was $25,000. Read The Daily Astorian article.
The NPS has a 33 page guide to the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park available as a download. It is very well done, and quite worth taking a look at, even if you don't want to print it out. The park extends across the Columbia River, including sites in both Oregon and Washington. This is a beautiful guide!
(photo by Alex Pajunas, The Daily Astorian)
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High water at the Boat House in St. Charles
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 The Boat House at St. Charles, Missouri where the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles stores their keelboat and pirogues underwent flooding for the first time. This photo was taken by Betty Kluesner of DESC on September 16, 2008.
Fortunately the Boat House was designed to withstand this possibility. The boats were removed to higher ground as a safety precaution. The store and museum are located above the storage facility. Everything has been cleaned up and the boats are all back in.
The Boat House website also contains information about the DESC adventures along the trail and their continuing activities.
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Clatsop-Nehalem 60 foot mural at Seaside
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 The Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes gifted the city of Seaside, Oregon with a sixty foot mural depicting daily life of the tribes in the early 1800's. The mural was painted by artist Roger Cooke of Sandy, Oregon on aluminum panels. It is located on the wall of Holladay drugstore at Broadway and Holladay. The tribe will put UV coating on it in five years to make sure it doesn't fade. They are also creating a small curriculum guide for local elementary schools. The mural was dedicated on September 6th.
(photo by Alex Pajunas, The Daily Astorian)
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Historical novel being posted on forum
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The Clare sisters, Liz and Mary, of Austin, Texas write under the pen name Frances Hunter. They are the authors of the award-winning To the Ends of the Earth, the story of Meriwether Lewis's last days. They are currently posting excerpts of their work-in-progress on our forum.
Their new book is called The Fairest Portion of the Globe and is the story of Lewis and Clark before the expedition. Here is a link to their postings on the Lewis and Clark Creative Corner under Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry.
The forum may also be reached through visiting the lewisandclarkroadtrips.com website and clicking on the forums tab.
Liz has submitted posts on
The Mystery of Teresa de Leyba
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Young William Clark
Laudanum
Murder and Madness in the Lewis Family
Clark brother was prisoner of war
Taverns in Early America
Visit the frances-hunter.com website to see more. These authors know how to write, and they know how to use the power of the internet. For example they have included a book club discussion guide for their first book, To the Ends of the Earth.
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Historic Preservation Directory website
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The Historic Preservation Directory website now carries Lewis and Clark Road Trips in its new internet bookstore. Tim Cannan, the president, is a fan of my book and has used it to explore the Pacific Northwest. The website is an incredible compendium of resources.
It includes:
over 4,500 historical societies in North America (the U.S. & Canada)
over 7,000 history and house museums
all state historic preservation offices
over 1,000 downtown and main street groups
hundreds of historic homes for sale
hundreds of historic preservation professionals and services
hundreds of historic hotels, bed & breakfasts, and inns
historic tour services and heritage tourism resources
If your interests and businesses fall into any of these categories, be sure to check it out and see that you are listed! The address is
www.preservationdirectory.com for your reference.
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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.
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.
PreservationDirectory.com
on the internet
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
Powell's Store
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
SALE PRICE
$25 plus shipping
Pay by mail by personal check
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The original Biddle traveling the trail with the DESC guys on the Ohio River 2007
Biddle hanging out
on the Ohio River trip
Betty Kluesner and Biddle
(Betty was his adopted owner for the trip)
The original Biddle owned by Vicki Correia meets an 830 pound Grizzly Bear at Lincoln, Montana
What do you do when you meet an 800 pound grizzly bear?
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