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Dear Friends of Lewis & Clark,
I toured the star-shaped Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the home of the Star Spangled Banner, during our eastern book tour in May-June. The "rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there" meant a lot more to me when I realized the White House and other federal buildings in Washington D. C. had been destroyed by British troops three weeks before the American victory at Fort McHenry in September, 1814.
It's summertime! This is by way of an explanation for issuing the June newsletter in August. It will be a long newsletter as a result. I hope you are enjoying your summer also.
Have book, will travel--Book talks wanted
I will be scheduling book talks on The Death of Meriwether Lewis from here on out. I will give a talk at the Bookworm in Omaha on Saturday, October 24th at 1 PM. I am looking for talks after the time of the Trail Heritage annual meeting. Call me at (402) 451-2878.
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| "Solve the mystery" urges Lewis family |
 I met Howell Lewis Bowen, 5x great grandson of Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks, in Charlottesville. We are standing in front of the New Dominion Bookshop, where Jim Starrs and I gave our first book talk.
NPR "All Things Considered" Interview Howell, Jim and I were interviewed by Sandy Hausman of Virginia Public Radio. The interview aired on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on July 8th. To listen to the interview, click here.
Family establishes website and holds press conference
Almost 200 collateral descendants of Meriwether Lewis have signed a petition asking for exhumation to determine the cause of his death--whether it was murder or suicide? They have hired a public relations firm and established a website, www.solvethemystery.org A press conference was held at the National Press Club on July 8th. If you want to stay current with the news stories, visit the family's website and look under the news tab. We also have a website for our book, www.deathofmeriwetherlewis.com |
| Multiple Meriwether Lewis plays |
 Three different plays concerning the death of Meriwether Lewis will be performed this October--in Great Falls, Montana, Kansas City, Kansas and Hohenwald, Tennessee. Wouldn't it be fun to see all of them?
Great Falls MT: " Voices in the Shadows," October 23-25, a fictional coroner's inquest set in 1809, with audience members acting as jury. The play,created by Forest Service Staff, will be performed at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. For a list of all their interesting programs, click here. Call (406 727-8733 for more information.
Kansas City, KS: "Grinders Stand: A Tragedy of Blood" written by Oakley Hall III will be presented at the new River Ampitheater at Lewis & Clark Park at Kaw Point on October 2-4 at 7:30 PM. Call Dewayne Knott at (816) 868-5343 for more information.
Hohenwald, TN: "Inquest on the Natchez Trace: The Curious Death of Meriwether Lewis" written and directed by Tony Turnbow will be performed at the Strand Theater on October 9-10 and October 16-17 in Hohenwald. Turnbow is in charge of the public ceremony honoring Lewis at the National Monument and Gravesite on October 7th. For reserved tickets call (931) 796-4519. |
| The Death of Meriwether Lewis |
THE DEATH OF MERIWETHER LEWIS--
A HISTORIC CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
I urge anyone interested in Lewis and Clark to get this book. The twenty documents pertaining to the death of Lewis make an invaluable addition to the Lewis and Clark literature, regardless of whether you believe it was suicide or murder. Until you have examined the evidence, you can't know the "back story." As someone just told me after my booktalk yesterday, we have had "airbrushed history" instead of the facts. This book supplies all the facts that any historian has ever based his opinions on. And it is only opinions until we have an exhumation, which hopefully will "solve the mystery." In the meanwhile, you can play amateur detective yourself. In addition the book has the transcript of the Coroner's Inquest, and my 85 page narrative, "The Case for Murder."
Our websites' bookstore is an Amazon affiliate, which means that every book you purchase gives us a percentage of the sale. Anything you buy will subsidize the expenses of this newsletter, and it doesn't cost you anything! You can also help advertise The Death of Meriwether Lewis by purchasing both it and another book. Then it will be cross-promoted on both book's pages, as "Customers who bought related items also bought. . ." Browse the websites' bookstore .
If you prefer to support your local bookstore, please ask them to stock our books. If they sell them and are not listed on the "Featured Sales Outlets" (seen here on the right) please let me know. All these listings are free. |
| Its Woot and the MR340 river race |
 The Chinook Indian canoe called the Its Woot participated in the annual 340 mile Missouri River race between Kansas City and St. Charles, Missouri. Its crew of six DESC members were racing to represent the Chinook Nation, based in Washington State.
The Chinook tribe and members of the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, the reenactors who toured the trail in 2003-2006, have formed a close bond. DESC members toured the country on their return journey with the 31 foot Its Woot canoe, which was blessed by the Chinooks.
ITS WOOT comes in second!
The racers and their splendid canoe managed to come in second in their class in a time of 60 hours and 11 minutes. The allotted time for completion is 88 hours. The MR340 river race is one of the longest in the nation. Members of the team only practiced together for ten hours. Chairman Ray Gardner of the Chinook Tribe was on hand to greet them at St. Charles.
Chinook Tribe seeks federal recognition
Chairman Gardner and other members of the tribe testified before a house committee on July 15th in support of H. R. 3084, the "Chinook Restoration Act." To read more about it, visit the tribe's website, www.chinooknation.org |
| Nebraska City Center gains independence |
The beautiful Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Center, located at Nebraska City, Nebraska is now charging admission, $5.50 for adults; $4.50 seniors and $3.50 ages 6-18. For the first five years of its existence it was under the administration of the National Park Service, which recently transferred ownership to a local foundation. As a result, the center can now charge admission. A public ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 27th, at 2:00, "Our Journey 2009 and Beyond." |
| Jim Thom wins national award |
 James Alexander Thom, the author of many best selling works of historical fiction, has been selected for an award of $10,000 in the National Author category of the inaugural Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. Jim and his wife, Dark Rain Thom, have been active in Lewis and Clark activities for many years.
This is a rare and heart-lifting pleasure," said James Alexander Thom. "I can only compare it with that first call I ever got from an editor, so long ago, saying, 'We love your story and we want to publish it.' I am grateful that Eugene and Marilyn Glick honored the storytelling art highly enough to applaud it in such a grand and generous way, and I look forward to applauding those whose work will be so acknowledged in the years to come." To read more on this story posted on the NUVO blog, click here. |
| First Council Casino dedicates statues |
 The Otoe-Missouria tribe has opened a First Council Casino named in honor of the First Council of Lewis and Clark with Indians, and installed six bronze statues by sculptor Oreland Joe. They are duplicates of statues placed at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, north of Omaha, Nebraska, where the original council was held on August 3, 1804. The First Council Casino is located near the Wichita, Kansas in Newkirk, Oklahoma. |
| N Dakota center acquires major collection |
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A three million dollar expansion and renovation project is underway at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn, North Dakota. They have acquired the collection of John Fisher, a Lewis and Clark enthusiast, who collected almost 1,000 period artifacts. The project is expected to be finished by 2011. The center's expansion will feature a new technology media center, and a makeover of its exhibits area featuring the new acquisitions.
Talks at Annual Meeting: David Borlaug and Clay Jenkinson will be giving a talk on the new developments on Tuesday, October 6, from 4-5 at the annual meeting. John Fisher will give a talk on "The Medicine of Lewis and Clark" on Monday, October 5 at 7:30 PM. at the annual meeting. |
| Blackfeet historian Curly Bear Wagner dies |
 Curly Bear Wagner has died at age 64. Wagner served as a historian at Glacier National Park for the last 15 years, educating thousands of visitors to the park. He was a descendant of the Blackfeet warrior Red Crow. A former leader of the American Indian Movement, he was one of the AIM members who occupied Alcatraz in 1971. In 1994 he founded the Going-to-the-Sun Institute and begin leading tours to Blackfeet sites, located near Browning, Montana the home of the Blackfeet Nation. His legacy will live on through the documentary films in which he often appeared. |
| Controversial statue gets new marker |
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Almost one hundred people gathered on June 19th to celebrate the dedication of a new marker at the Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea statue in Charlottesville. Four generations of Shoshone descendants of Sacajawea's family came from Idaho to participate in the event. The statue had been criticized because Sacajawea had been sculpted in crouching position at the men's feet. Members of the Virginia-based Monacan Indian Nation participated. Mayor Dave Norris said he hoped the plaque would represent "a major shift in how we talk about our past...and the role of women in society." |
| Episcopal Church repudiates Doctrine of Discovery |
 Robert J. Miller, law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon is a citizen of the eastern Shawnee Tribe, and the author of Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. His book has provided a new look at the "Doctrine of Discovery" developed by European monarchy and the Catholic Church in the 1400's-1500's. It established their divine right to own vacant land and land claimed by non-Christians.
The 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church has adopted a resolution "Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery" and has called on other Christian churches and governments around the world to join them. To read Bob Miller's article on the Indian Country newspaper website, click here. The book is available through our Amazon Affiliate bookstore, in the "Featured in Newsletter" section. |
| Great Falls selling Seaman bronzes |
 The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is selling small bronzes of Seaman, the Newfoundland dog, who accompanied the expedition. The sale of the 10x11 inch bronzes will help pay for the erection of a life size bronze statue of Seaman outside the Interpretive Center. It was the last project of sculptor Joe Halko of Chouteau, Montana. Halko, who died in March of this year, was well known for his wildlife sculptures. To read a memorial blog, click here. The bronzes are selling for $895. To learn more visit www.lewisandclarkfoundation.org |
| L&C Foundation News |
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The Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation has announced that it has reduced its Great Falls office staff due to necessary budget cuts. A Director of Operations & Membership Services will be appointed shortly, combining the two positions into one. Chris Howell has assumed the presidency of the foundation, and Margaret Gorsky is president-elect.
Board Member Nominees
Foundation members may vote for 4 candidates for the board. The candidates are Bryant Boswell, Jay Buckley, Janet Grieder, Lorna Hainesworth, Clay Smith, and Bill Stevens. Ballots must be postmarked by September 15th. All of these candidates deserve recognition for volunteering to serve on the board.
Support the foundation
Please join the foundation, and plan on attending the annual meeting in October. Over the eight years that I have been a member I have seen consistent and steady improvement in the work of the foundation. A small staff has done a lot of work and they need our support and thanks. The focus of the foundation is the publication of We Proceeded On, the quarterly journal which features scholarly articles; the library and archives at Great Falls; a quarterly newsletter, and a very nice website. Basic dues are $49 a year; family & international, $65; and student, $30.
Hot topic
I am currently engaged in an exchange of letters and views in WPO with Thomas Danisi, the co-author of the new biography, Meriwether Lewis. If you want to know what's going on, become a member!
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| Special annual meeting in October! |
 Courage Undaunted--The Final Journey
The 41st annual meeting of the Lewis Clark Trail Heritage Foundation will be held at the Whispering Woods Hotel and Convention Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi. (Olive Branch is 23 miles from downtown Memphis, Tennessee.)
The discount for early registration is $350 for members; after September 1st it is $400. The registration fee includes lunch, dinner and the Wednesday bus tour to Hohenwald.
Optional Tours
On Sunday there is an optional bus tour to Memphis which includes a Memphis Queen riverboat ride, and a ceremony at the site of Fort Pickering, now the National Ornamental Metal Museum. I have signed up for this and look forward to seeing Chickasaw Bluffs at last. (Cost is $100) There are also post meeting tours to Natchez, Mississippi and either Vicksburg or New Orleans. The tour group will spend October 8-9 in Natchez and October 10-11 touring either Vicksburg or New Orleans. (Cost is $625). All the optional tours offer discounts if you supply your own transporation.
The Annual Meeting
Monday and Tuesday are a full day of programs and activities at the convention center. On Wednesday, buses will take us to the public ceremony at the National Monument and Gravesite near Hohenwald, Tennessee. The living history camp will be hosting activities and there Camp Pomp activities for young people. Click here for more information.
I will have a vendor's table and be signing books on Sunday and Monday. I plan to participate in the general roundtable discussion regarding Lewis at the end of the programs on Tuesday. |
| Regional meeting at Pierre, August 14-16 |
| The Encounters on the Prairie Chapter will host a regional foundation meeting on August 14-16 at Pierre, South Dakota. Contact President Bill Stevens at (605) 224-0223 or at svsvideo@pie.midco.net for more info. The meeting will be held at the AmericInn Teton Island Convention Center. Call (605) 223-2358 for reservations. There will be talks and tours on Saturday, and a riverboat cruise in the evening. Kayak, canoe and pontoon float on the river on Sunday morning. Click here for the agenda and registration form. |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs regional meeting |
 Bud Clark, a descendant of William Clark and leader of the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles reenactors who toured the country in 2003-06, was the keynote speaker at the regional meeting held by the Mouth of the Platte chapter on July 24-26. The meeting was held in conjunction with the annual White Catfish Festival at the Western Historic Trails Center. Butch Bouvier, the keelboat builder from Onawa, Iowa brought a small size keelboat on a truck bed which ferried visitors back and forth to the living history reenactors camp. Otoe-Missouria tribal members Bat Shunatona, Truman Black and Matt Jones gave presentations. Mouth of the Platte President Della Bauer said it was good practice for organizing the national meeting, which the chapter will host in 2011. | |
Please contact me with news, corrections, suggestions; and for how to order autographed copies of Lewis and Clark Road Trips or The Death of Meriwether Lewis with personal messages.
Sincerely,
Kira Gale
River Junction Press LLC kira@lewisandclarktravel.com
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| s Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation |
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Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation by James E. Starrs and Kira Gale
$16.95 368 pages
42 photos & illustrations, 5 maps
Also available in
e-book formats: Kindle, Sony Reader and Adobe pdf
Get the facts--
The testimonies of the 13 expert witnesses at the 1996 Coroner's Inquest in Lewis County, Tennessee including some of the biggest names in crime scene investigation as to what might be learned if an exhumation takes place
The historic record concerning Lewis's death--twenty documents with commentary
Kira Gale's 85 page narrative
"The Case for Murder"
identifies suspects and motives
From Booklist
"Starrs and Gale's capacious, document-driven argument that Lewis was not a suicide isn't the most editorially polished of books, but should Lewis's bones make headlines, if and when they speak forensically from the grave, grassroots enthusiasm for it may take flight." |
Lewis and Clark
Road Trips: Exploring the Trail Across America
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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 |
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Proceeding On
