November 2004, Volume 4, Issue 11

LEWIS AND CLARK PARK LEGISLATION SIGNED INTO LAW

Lewis and Clark National Historic Park created in time for 200th anniversary

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird recently announced that the Lewis and Clark National Park Designation Act of 2004 was signed into law. Five hundred sixty acres in Washington and Oregon will be re-designated as the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, making these sites a part of the National Park System. The acreage includes an expanded Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon, and three sites in Washington state—the Megler Safety Rest Area (Clark's Dismal Nitch), Station Camp, and Cape Disappointment (formerly Fort Canby) State Park.

"This is a great moment for the Northwest," said Rep. Baird. "Lewis and Clark's expedition literally put our area on the map. Creation of this park will tell the full story of their journey and will attract tourists and visitors from around the nation and the world. It will be an economic boost to our region for years to come."

Establishment of a bi-state, coordinated Lewis and Clark National Park has been a longstanding goal for Rep. Baird. Shortly after the beginning of his congressional tenure in 1999, Rep. Baird began holding meetings with local community leaders and members of the National Park Service to determine how best to include points of interest from both sides of the Columbia River in a national park. The idea was also championed by local groups, most notably the Pacific County Friends of Lewis and Clark.

Rep. Baird introduced H.R. 3819 the House version of the legislation on February 24, 2004, and soon after Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced S. 2167, its companion legislation in the Senate. The legislation received strong support from all members of the Washington and Oregon House and Senate delegations. Additionally, it has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Administration, the Department of the Interior, the Washington State Historical Society, Washington State Parks Department and the Pacific County Friends of Lewis and Clark.

DESTINATION: THE PACIFIC LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

Destination: The Pacific (DTP) launches a new website as it prepares for the one-year countdown to the nationally sanctioned Signature Event commemorating the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. New features of the website can be accessed at http://www.destinationthepacific.com/ and include:

• Updates about Signature Event activities
• Jr. Corps of Discovery online, including a quiz to test your Lewis & Clark IQ
• Bulletin Board for viewing and posting messages
• Volunteer Member sign-up
• Calendar of Events updated monthly
• News articles from the Commemorative Guide and other sources
• Useful links to a variety of Lewis and Clark related websites
• Online Store featuring commemorative stamps, Destination poster, York Poster designed by filmmaker Ron Craig, silver ingots, and bicycle maps.

In addition, The Vote at Station Camp Online launches November 24, 2004, offering an opportunity to cast your own vote about where to winter over. The Vote gets kicked off on Wednesday, November 24, starting at 9 AM, when 4th grade students from selected Pacific and Clatsop County schools inaugurate The Vote at Station Camp Online with special programs at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Ilwaco and by casting their own vote at Station Camp near Chinook, Washington, with "Captain Clark" portrayed by Craig Rockwell.

DTP is also planning to sell admission tickets online to Signature Event activities beginning February 2005. "The website is the portal for Oregon and Washington Signature Event news and information," noted Executive Director Cyndi Mudge. "We want to engage people in our regional history and planning, so we've developed interactive elements designed to be both fun and informative."

The website for Destination: The Pacific is by Beachdog.com, a tourism marketing firm based in Long Beach, Washington. Beachdog.com also designed and developed the website for the new Lewis and Clark National Historical Park http://www.lewisandclarknationalpark.com/

Destination: The Pacific takes place November 11-15, 2005, with a special commemoration of The Vote at Station Camp on November 24, 2005. DTP is one of fifteen Signature Events sanctioned by the National Council for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. Signature Event activities include an opening ceremony at Fort Stevens State Park, "Festival of the Pacific: Lewis and Clark Remembered" at Clatsop County Fairgrounds, "Ocian in View" expanded in 2005 to include venues in Oregon, The National Park Service Corps of Discovery II in Long Beach, the dedication of Station Camp, and "Consider The Columbia" where plans are underway to bring 4500 people together to hold hands across the water on the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

Destination: The Pacific is a collaboration between Oregon and Washington states. DTP consists of five partners: Pacific County Friends of Lewis and Clark, Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Association for Clatsop County, Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Chinook Nation, and Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes.

LEWIS AND CLARK CRUISE

The Washington State History Museum invites you to retrace the steps of Lewis & Clark... Set sail on the Empress of the North for a seven-night cruise. This voyage of discovery takes you back to an era of enduring elegance, when over 300 sternwheelers carried passengers in refined style along the Columbia, Snake and Willamette Rivers.

All-included shore excursions take you to explore historic Fort Clatsop, Whitman Mission and Fort Walla Walla, and the Columbia River Maritime Museums. Take a thrilling jet-boat ride through scenic Hells Canyon.

Departs April 24, 2005 from Portland, Oregon.
Prices for a category CC* - $2,723.25 per person.
(Other room categories are available)
*Category CC - first class stateroom with a veranda.
Limited space available.

For more information regarding this cruise, call Debbie Meyer- Meyer's House of Travel- (360) 943-1735.

WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AWARDS PROGRAM

Call for Nominations

The Washington State Historical Society announces a call for nominations for awards to be presented at the Society's annual meeting on June 11, 2005. Up to nine awards are presented each year to recognize excellence in advancing the field of history in the state of Washington through writing, teaching, historic projects, understanding cultural diversity and for volunteerism at the Washington State History Museum and the State Capital Museum. We encourage you to help us honor the work that advances the Society's mission "to make the study of history in Washington illuminating and inspiring" by nominating candidates for the following awards: David Douglas Award, Governor's Award for Teaching History in Washington State, Peace and Friendship Awards, and the Robert Gray Medal.

For a description of the awards and information on the nomination process, please visit http://www.washingtonhistory.org/wshs/awards.htm.

Contact:
Marie DeLong
1911 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402-3109
Phone 253-798-5901
Fax 253-272-9518
Email: mdelong@wshs.wa.gov

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ANNOUNCES 2005 CHALLENGE COST SHARE PROGRAM FOR THE LEWIS AND CLARK TRAIL

The National Park Service announces the 2005 Challenge Cost Share program for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, pending enactment of Congressional appropriations for the US Department of Interior. The program will distribute matching funds to non-federal organizations for projects that educate the public about the Lewis and Clark story and preserve the resources of the National Historic Trail, including projects that commemorate the bicentennial of the historic expedition.

"This year we are looking for projects that will provide a lasting legacy of education and interpretation on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail for many years following the bicentennial" said Trail Manager Richard Williams. "However, we also expect a number of organizations will apply for funds to assist in production of bicentennial events and activities in 2005 and 2006" Williams said.

Local communities, states and non profit organizations are encouraged to apply for the Lewis and Clark Challenge Cost Share funds. Application packets and more information may be obtained at the Internet Web site www.nps.gov/lecl or from Challenge Cost Share Program Coordinator Midori Raymore, 402-661-1826, toll free 888-237-3252, or midori_raymore@nps.gov.

On-line applications must be submitted by January 14, 2005.

The Challenge Cost Share Program for the National Park Service was first authorized by Congress in 1995. Each year Congress appropriates funds for this program for use on National Scenic and Historic Trails, including the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

The National Park Service is sponsoring grant-writing workshops on Monday, November 8, 9am- 12pm, at the Howard House in Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, Washington, and Wednesday, November 3, 9am- 1pm, at the United Way Building at 401 North Young St., Kennewick, Washington (509-783-4102 for directions). These workshops will provide an opportunity for applicants to review the elements of a well-written and organized proposal including project criteria. Also covered will be Program changes and requirements for funded projects. Please contact Arlene Johnson at 360-906-7119 or Midori Raymore at 888-237-3252 x 1826 for more information about the workshop.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

By Sharon Hultman, WSHS Digital Projects Manager

LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL AND STATE HISTORICAL PARKS

Two hundred years ago, on November 22, 1805, Clark wrote about Station Camp in his journal:

Oh! How horrible is the day. This storm continued all day with equal violence accompanied with rain . . . The waves and breakers flew over our camp, one canoe split by the tossing of those waves. We are all confined to our camp, and wet.

It's not hard to imagine that the Corps of Discovery felt absolutely miserable camping along the Columbia River during a cold, wet Northwest November. In honor of the tribulations of the Corps in Washington, we are reviewing the website of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks - which will include Station Camp and other Washington and Oregon Lewis and Clark sites. The park was dedicated on November 12th, and the National Park Service has already put up a website.

Although the site is new, and still somewhat unformed, it promises to tell the stories of the expedition throughout the Northwest. Among the tales waiting to be told in the months to come are:

• Near disaster at Dismal Nitch
• Joyful arrival and unusual leadership exhibited at Station Camp
• The exploration of Cape Disappointment
• Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Native Americans of the Lower Columbia River
• Trading with Chinook Indians near present day Fort Columbia State Park
• Preparing for the return home while in winter quarters at Fort Clatsop
• Exploring the country by a direct route to the ocean
• Resupply of a precious commodity at The Salt Works
• Working with the Clatsop Indians who made their home at the mouth of the Columbia River in present day Fort Stevens State Park
• The arduous hike over Tillamook Head, now a part of Ecola State Park

A few of the stories are in place already. For instance, you can read about the making of salt near present-day Seaside in Oregon, and how a disappointed John Meares left his mark on the landscape. For the time being, however, the site is filled primarily with descriptions of the improvements that will be made to turn Station Camp and Dismal Nitch (along with other Northwest locations) into a one-of-a-kind park supported by two states and the federal government.

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.