August 2005, Volume 5, Issue 6

NICKEL RELEASE AT CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT DRAWS 1,000

More than 1,000 coin enthusiasts, collectors and Lewis and Clark enthusiasts gathered at Waikiki Beach, Cape Disappointment State Park, for the United States Mint's release of its newest Westward Series coin, the Ocean In View nickel on August 5.

The new nickel commemorates the Lewis and Clark Expedition's arrival at the Pacific Ocean and the famous statement "Ocian in View! O' the Joy," recorded by Clark on November 7, 1805.

Set against the rugged Cape Disappointment headland that inspired the coin's design, with seagulls and pelicans soaring overhead and a Chinook canoe on the beach, Oregon and Washington officials gathered to commemorate the release.

Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks superintendent Chip Jenkins emceed the event, which featured Chinook Tribal Council Vice-Chair Ray Gardner, Chinook tribal elder Millie Laugergen; and a number of federal, state and local dignitaries.

Washington State Historical Society director David Nicandri reminded the audience that Jefferson's goal for the expeditions was "for the purposes of Commerce," while local writer Rex Ziak recalled memories of crossing the Columbia and the value of the nickel. Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards expounded on trade, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the changing value of money and the beautiful setting.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration unveiled a new, one-foot diameter stainless steel survey marker in the design of the nickel, which will be permanently located near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. The marker will also serve as a USGS survey marker.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Chinook Elder Millie Laugergen poured newly minted nickels from a Chinookan basket of her making on to a Chinook blanket, marking the release of the new nickel.

The new nickel has portrait of Jefferson on the obverse and on the reverse side, a view of the Pacific Ocean against rugged headlands. It was designed by engraver and coin artist Joe Fitzgerald, who signed nickel rolls all afternoon. An official release is the first time that a citizen can acquire the coin and the Mint coordinated with a local bank, The Bank of the Pacific, to arrange for a cash exchange for the new coins after the "release".

More than 300 people lined up to exchange cash for nickels after the ceremony. Fortunately the slight overcast cooled the air and added to the coastal feel.

Two fiddlers strolled through the crowd, playing music from the early 1800s. Roger Wendlick, a living history interpreter from Portland, portrayed George Drouillard. He and Gardner noted the immense value that blue beads carried in the lower Columbia in the early 1800's, then reenacted the famous trade of Sacagawea's blue bead belt for sea otter pelts.

Gary Lentz, portraying Sgt. Patrick Gass, discussed the value of the nickel, called a "half-dime" in 1805. An 1805 nickel, in strict financial terms, would be worth 70 times its value today.

Next to the stage, a display of nickels in a large glass container explained how Jefferson's original congressional authorization for the Lewis and Clark Expedition of $2600 for the expedition equaled 52,000 nickels. The actual cost in 1805 dollars was close to $38,000 for the Expedition.

According to The Bank of the Pacific Senior Vice President Dian Barker-Sayce, coin exchanging was so brisk that the original limit of $100 per exchange was lowered to $20 to ensure that all in line would receive some of the new nickels. She estimated that Joe Fitzgerald signed nearly 3,000, two-dollar rolls of nickels by day's end.

Overall, $19,000 in Ocean In View nickels, $7,000 in Bison nickels (previously released), and $5,500 in Sacagawea dollars (previously released) were exchanged. That's nearly four tons worth of coins.

Coin collectors came from as far away as New Jersey, Indiana, Missouri, Utah, Florida, New York, West Virginia, Colorado, and California, as well as Oregon and Washington.

SALMON HOMECOMING/NORTHWEST INDIAN FISHERIES COMMISSION FORUM

YOU are invited, and encouraged, to participate in the Salmon Homecoming Forum, at NOAA/Sand Point, in Seattle, Thursday, September 8.

The Salmon Homecoming Alliance is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit foundation, established to organize, plan, develop and facilitate programs and events associated with Salmon Homecoming. Board members represent a variety of governments, associations, foundations and industries.

Salmon Homecoming has been celebrated there every fall for the past 13 years. The celebrations have always included cultural presentations, such as Northwest traditional gatherings, Pow Wows and Cedar Canoe events.

Salmon Homecoming is all about the people of the Pacific Northwest, whoever they are and whatever they do.

Morning Session 1:
Wisdom of The Ages (This phase will address ancient customs, traditions and stewardship and sacred sites.)

Moderator: Dave Nicandri, Director, Washington State Historical Society
Speakers: Chris Morganroth, Quileute elder and historian
The Honorable Frances Charles, Chair, Lower Elwha/S'Klallam Tribe
The Honorable Darrell Hillaire, Chair, Lummi Indian Nation

Video Comment: Senator Daniel K. Inouye re: "Why tribal/non-tribal government-to-government relations make sense"

Morning Session 2:
150 Years (This phase will address the treaty era, through the fish wars and onto co-management)

Moderator: Jim Peters, Chairman, Squaxin Island Tribe
Speakers: Bill Wilkerson, Director, Washington Forest Protection Association
Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Tribe; President, AWT
Billy Frank, Jr., Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Video Comment: Governor Christine Gregoire re: "We must work together."

LUNCH: Prayer:
The Reverend John Boonstra, Washington Association of Churches

Comments by Michael Anderson, Director, Washington State Ferries

Presentation of the SEVENTH GENERATION LEGACY AWARDS
With participation by last year's recipients

Afternoon Session 1:
Habitat, Habitat, Habitat (Habitat challenges we face in the Northwest today…their sources and their solutions)
Moderator: Chantal Stevens, Executive Director, Sustainable Seattle
Speakers: Terry Williams, Tulalip Tribes
Gene Duveroy, President, Cascade Land Conservancy
Bob Lohn, Regional Director, NOAA

Video Comment: Senator Maria Cantwell re: "There is hope for habitat"

Afternoon Session 2:
Threshold to Tomorrow (Why there must be, and are, good causes to hope that we can, and must, bring back the salmon and protect and restore salmon habitat.)
Moderator: Josh Baldi, Washington State Department of Ecology
Lorraine Loomis, Swinomish Nation
Ron Allen, Chair, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe/Executive Council, NCAI
Ron Sims, King County Executive
Billy Frank, Jr., Chairman NWIFC

Wrap up comments: Gerald James, Lummi Nation/King County/Salmon Homecoming, Michael Grayum, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

CONFLUENCE PROJECT RECEIVES FUNDING FOR LAND BRIDGE

U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Representative Brian Baird declared victory in their efforts to secure critical federal funding for Southwest Washington's transportation priorities. The three secured over $58 million for the region in legislation reauthorizing surface transportation spending through 2009.

The Confluence Project of particular note, will receive $4.5 million in funding to provide for the City of Vancouver, the National Park Service, and WSDOT to connect the Fort of Vancouver National Historical site to the Columbia River Waterfront by a pedestrian land bridge spanning SR-14 east of I-5.

$1.6 MILLION HEADED TO LEWIS & CLARK NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

The U.S. Senate passed legislation that contains $1.6 million for acquiring sites important to Lewis and Clark's remarkable arrival at the Pacific Ocean, and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who pushed legislation through the Senate last year to create the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, helped secure the funding. When complete, the park will encompass three Washington state sites significant to Lewis and Clark's expedition, as well as Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon and several state parks.

"The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is about preserving and teaching about a vital piece of Northwest history," Cantwell said. "This new park will be a key part of upcoming bicentennial celebrations, which will be a big boost to the local economy.""

The funding was included in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2006 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, surviving negotiations between House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders. Cantwell has made funding for the new park a priority, and urged other senators to support her request. The bill will become law once signed by the President, as is expected.

"Lewis and Clark funding is now just a pen stroke away," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Passing the Lewis and Clark legislation last year was the first step, but we needed to follow up with federal funds to permanently protect these historical sites. We have, and it's happening."

Last November, President Bush signed legislation introduced by Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA-03) that created the park. Later that month, Cantwell and Baird joined local officials and Fran Mainella, the Director of the National Park Service, for a park dedication ceremony at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center near Ilwaco.

The legislation was passed in preparation for this year's bicentennial celebration of Lewis and Clark's historic expedition. The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Designation Act will eventually protect three sites, totaling 560 acres, on the lower Columbia River that played crucial roles during the Corps of Discovery expedition's dramatic arrival at the Pacific Ocean: Dismal Nitch, Station Camp, and Cape Disappointment.

The legislation designates those sites and Oregon's Fort Clatsop National Memorial as the "Lewis and Clark National Historical Park." The bill also authorizes management partnerships with Oregon's Ecola State Park and Fort Stevens State Park, and Washington's Fort Columbia State Park and Cape Disappointment State Park.

Cantwell and Baird introduced their legislation after the National Park Service completed a yearlong public process, determining these three sites of "national significance, suitability, and feasibility" and recommended they be added to Fort Clatsop. That study was a result of legislation Cantwell co-sponsored in 2002, called the Fort Clatsop Expansion Act. The bill also expanded Fort Clatsop National Memorial from 125 acres to 1500 acres.

YORK

Photo courtesy Steve Rodenbough, Northern Exposures Photography

The Rotary Club of Olympia announced this week that the highly-praised award-winning play, York, will appear at Olympia High School on September 17 at 7 pm and September 18 at 2 pm. This eighty-minute one-man play, presented without intermission, portrays a first person account by actor David Casteal of Spokane in a very personal and tragic story of York, the only black to travel with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

York, William Clark's personal slave and manservant, worked along side other members of the Corps of Discovery but, until recently, was not recognized for his accomplishments in the Corps. Very little is known about York but it is clear that he completed the entire journey and was a valued member of the expeditionary force. He was not formerly a member of the Corps of Discovery, the military unit headed up by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. On January 17, 2001 President William Jefferson Clinton promoted York, posthumously, to the rank of Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army.

Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux and actor David Casteal have created an outstanding and memorable portrayal of this little-known figure with the historical richness and a cultural sophistication that will appeal to both theater enthusiasts and history buffs. Casteal has studied and taught African drumming for many years. His drum talents are creatively and uniquely complimented in this performance by traditional American Indian drum recordings by Gary Fox, Lead Singer for Bull Lodge Group of the Gros-Ventre Nation and Gloria Fox, Keeper of the Songs of the Gros-Ventre Nation.

In June, York was featured at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) where the production received a standing ovation. This highly-praised performance, written by Spokane Playwright and attorney, Bryan Harnetiaux, was featured earlier this spring to packed houses during a three-week period at the Spokane Civic Theater.

For more information on this event, please call Susan Rohrer at the State Capital Museum, 360-586-0166.

A PAINTER'S VIEW: LEWIS & CLARK IN WESTERN OREGON & WASHINGTON

A new book by Katy Grant Hanson of Albany, Oregon. This book is filled with Lewis & Clark journal quotes and her paintings at locations in western Oregon and Washington. Get your copy today for $29.95. In addition she is selling the paintings used in the book. The publisher is BROL X PRESS of Albany ,www.brolxpress.com.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

By Sharon Hultman, WSHS Digital Projects Manager

The Corps 33
200 Years, 200 Books: A Lewis and Clark Expedition Bibliography

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/pdf/corps33.pdf

Although it is not really a website, but rather a PDF bibliography (Adobe Acrobat required - download it for free from , The Corps 33 is nonetheless a resource of inestimable value. The Governor-appointed Washington Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, the Washington State Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, are working together to produce a bibliography of the two hundred most significant books published about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Corps 33 represents the thirty-three essential core books written about the expedition and the thirty-three members of Corps of Discovery who made the journey from Fort Mandan to the Pacific and back.

The Trail Committee and the Heritage Chapter selected the titles for the list, and supplied short annotations, while the Library provided the bibliographic information. Books about Thomas Jefferson and Native Americans are included to provide full context for the expedition. Some of the titles can be purchased at the local book store, some are rare books, and some can only be found in reference libraries.

The Corps 33 is just the first part of the much larger bibliography to come - two hundred of the most significant books about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There is no indication as to when the expanded list might be available, but it's bound to be an extremely useful reference tool.

NEW LEWIS AND CLARK PICTORIAL BOOK
NOW AVAILABLE

Ocian in view! Oh! the joy:
Lewis & Clark in Washington State

The latest book offering from the Washington State Historical Society is Ocian in View! O! The Joy: Lewis and Clark in Washington State, with illustrations by Roger Cooke and narrative text by Robert C. Carriker ( 168 pp., 78 color illustration, 4 maps; $27.95 paper ). This volume is an ideal companion for anyone interested in retracing the Washington portion of the Lewis and Clark trail by car or boat-or from the comfort of a favorite easy chair. Cooke's unique illustrations draw you into scene, and Carriker's informative text and judicious use of quotes from the journals of William Clark and other corps members impart both a historian's perspective and a sense of actually being part of the expedition. These illustrations also grace a series of wayside markers erected at points of interest along the Washington portion of the expedition route as part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration.

168 pp., 78 color illustrations, 4 maps, $27.95 on paper.

To order your copy, contact Amy Coggins at 253/798-5902. Shipping and handling are free to members of the Washington State Historical Society who purchase the book directly from WSHS.

DESTINATION THE PACIFIC - NEW SOUVENIR GUIDE AVAILABLE NOW!

The souvenir edition of the Destination: The Pacific commemorative guide is now available. The guide includes information about Signature Event programs and how to purchase tickets, which go on sale at the end of June.

The magazine also offers information about the new Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, a forum for Tribal Voices, a suite of bicentennial-related programs and products, and a travel planner section for those interested in attending Destination: The Pacific activities in November.

To receive a copy of the guide email director@destinationthepacific.com or call (503) 861-4403 and provide your name and mailing address. For updated information about bicentennial programs and ticketing information visit www.destinationthepacific.com.

NATIONAL LEWIS AND CLARK TALENT DATABASE NOW ONLINE

Event and program coordinators looking for Lewis and Clark-related speakers, musicians, dance groups, performers, living history interpreters, and even puppeteers can search the Washington State Historical Society's new online Lewis and Clark Talent Database. Each entry includes detailed program descriptions, costs, and contact information. Nearly 200 entries from across the United States are listed in this handy new feature at http://69.13.172.222/LCTalent/programSearch.asp. Or, go to washingtonhistory.org, click on "Lewis and Clark," then "Talent Database." To get the broadest search results, leave all fields blanks and click "Search."

To get your program entered in the database, email Lauren Danner, Assistant Bicentennial Coordinator, at Ldanner@wshs.wa.gov.

EVENTS LISTING

We are now listing bicentennial events and promotions in a large, searchable database, with several different search criteria, freeing up space in the electronic newsletter for more news-related items. If you would like to have an event or promotion listed in this new database, please direct all information to Mark Vessey at mvessey@wshs.wa.gov and he will post the listing.

To access this new feature, visit our website at www.washingtonhistory.org/lewisandclark and click the Bicentennial Events Calendar Database at the top of the page —or click on the link below.

PLEASE LOOK for additional information and updates on Bicentennial planning activities and projects in next month's e-newsletter.

ALSO - if you have articles or news-worthy information that you would like to contribute to this e-newsletter or to Washington's quarterly bicentennial newsletter, please contact Mark Vessey at 360.586.0219 or mvessey@wshs.wa.gov.

The Washington State Historical Society, lead agency of the state's Agency Assistance Team (AAT) for bicentennial planning, will send this newsletter via e-mail on a monthly basis to provide updates on events, projects, and activities going on around the state in preparation for the commemoration.

Your name is in the state's Lewis and Clark Trail database as someone who has expressed interest in the bicentennial. If you do not want to continue to receive this newsletter and/or other bicentennial communications, reply to this e-mail or contact Mark Vessey at the Heritage Resource Center 360.586.0219.