CMH Home
CMH Home
Lewis and Clark
Corps of Discovery
Corps of Discovery, United States Army Lewis and Clark Commemorative Logo
L&C HomeThe PeopleThe MissionExploreL&C Links

Explore
Picture Gallery: Astoria, OR and Long Beach, WA Signature Event -
"Destination Pacific 2005"

 

Photo: Exterior view of the USDA/Forest Service’s Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center located at Giant Springs just outside Great Falls, Montana. This is a truly an outstanding facility located near the site of the expedition’s Upper Portage Camp and a “must visit” for anyone following the expedition’s travels through the region. The opening ceremony for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration National Signature Event was held at Fort Stevens, Oregon (near the town of Warrenton) on Veterans Day. The ceremony was intended to honor all of our nation's veterans, regardless of branch of service, as well as the Soldiers that made up the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Photo: Another view of the USDA/FS Historic Trail Interpretive Center, which is located on Giant Springs Road off River Drive (Routes 89/87) just outside Great Falls. Lewis and Clark camped near here are they prepared their canoes for an overland trip in order to bypass the Great Falls of the Missouri River. There, at the beginning of the Rocky Mountains, within a few miles the river levels dropped hundreds of feet in frothing, seething, torrents of water and foam that prevented the explorers from continuing their westward journey until calmer waters could be located.

The extremely wet weather did not deter a large crowd from coming out to see the VIPs who made up the official part of the opening ceremony. The dignitaries included the Governors of Washington State and Oregon, members of the Oregon legislature, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and The Adjutant Generals of the Washington State and Oregon National Guard.
Photo: Jeffersonian uniform items on display at the Historic Trail Interpretive Center. One of the tremendous things about this interpretive center is that visitors can actually “try on” replicas of the uniforms that the Lewis and Clark expedition wore.

Musical entertainment was provided by the Oregon National Guard's 234th Army Band and the Washington State National Guard's 133rd Army Band.
Photo: Additional Jeffersonian Army uniform items on display in the main lobby. Most of the expedition’s dress uniforms, however, had deteriorated to the point of being virtually unusable by this time. Even if they had still possessed their original clothes, the members of the expedition would not have worn those items while hauling heavy portage wagons across the Montana landscape in the 100 plus degree heat of Montana in June – July 1805. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jim Powell treats the crowd to a rendition of Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American".

Photo: This is what Lewis and Clark experienced when conducting the portage. Their canoes, loaded down with their remaining supplies, were mounted on hand fashioned wheeled carriages and were then pulled or pushed overland.

Reenactors in the garb of Jeffersonian Army Soldiers were present at the opening ceremonies. The mix of Native American clothing and military garb accurately reflect the deteriorating condition of the expedition's military wardrobe.

Photo: The strain on the faces of the expedition’s members as they haul a heavy canoe carved out of a tree trunk up a steep slope is accurately captured in this Interpretive Center exhibit.

Another view of Jeffersonian Army reenactors portraying members of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Photo: Close up of the rear of the same canoe which also shows a portion of the hand made wheeled carriage. The expedition did not haul all of their canoes over the eighteen mile route; instead they carried an experimental iron framed boat with them to the “Lower Portage Camp” which they planned to use in lieu of additional canoes for their journey further westward. The Red and White Pirogues had already cached above the falls to await the expedition’s eventual return.

Another reenactor also portrayed Captain William Clark's manservant York.
Photo: Some of the expedition’s members sensibly wore as little as possible during the portage in order to preserve their remaining garments and also to avoid heat exhaustion. The reenactors at the opening ceremony did not confine themselves to the Lewis and Clark expedition, but also portrayed service-members from all of America's past conflicts. Here we see a World War I "Doughboy" (right) and a Soldier who fought in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
Photo: The Department of the Interior’s Corps II Traveling Exhibit on display at Great Falls, MT.

Members of the multi-Service color guard (US Army, US Air Force, US Navy and US Coast Guard) prepare to present the Service Flags, State Flags, and National Colors at the Fort Stevens opening ceremony. Several members of the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps, dressed in Jeffersonian Army musicians' uniforms, can be seen immediately to the rear of the color guard. The corps is one of America's few all-youth corps, with members ranging in age from 10 - 18. The young musicians play replica fifes and rope-tension drums used during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Their uniforms are red wool coats and bearskin crested hats, patterned after those of US Army field musicians of the period 1804 - 1810.
Photo: The Montana Army National Guard is providing a detail of soldiers to assist the DOI personnel with erecting, manning, and tearing down the traveling display as it makes it way across the state.

Another view of the multi-Service color guard. The flags are arranged in precedence, with the National Colors to the right of the line, followed by the State flags and Service flags in order to seniority. Absent from the color guard is the US Marine Corps Flag, which is senior to all other Service flags with the exception of the US Army.
Photo: The Montana Army National Guard has their own historical display that accompanies the traveling exhibit for the purpose of providing visitors with additional insights into the past accomplishments of American citizen soldiers. Salute batteries were arrayed on both the Washington State and Oregon sides of the Columbia River to commemorate the opening ceremony. In this photo you can see the Oregon saluting battery which was composed of three modern 105mm howitzers and one Napoleon Brass 12-pounder of Civil War vintage on the rampart of Fort Stevens.
Photo: Interior of the Montana Army National Guard exhibit tent. The gun crew of the Napoleon Brass 12-pounder goes through the motions of preparing to fire a blank charge.

Photo: Exterior of the Montana Army National Guard exhibit tent.

Close up view of the reenactors who were representing a Civil War era Federal artillery crew during the opening ceremony of "Destination - The Pacific".
Photo: Prickly pear cactus – something you did not want to step on while wearing moccasins and hauling a canoe across the Montana landscape. Yet it happened almost every day during the month long portage and the men were continually pulling its quills from the soles of their feet. Soldiers of the Oregon National Guard, to include members of the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry, 41st Separate Infantry Brigade (Enhanced) provided logistical support to the opening ceremonies.

Photo: Terrain typical of the Montana landscape that the expedition hauled its canoes across. Company B of the 52nd Engineers (Oregon Army National Guard) also had several pieces of the equipment they use on display on the grounds of Fort Stevens during the opening ceremonies.
Photo: Reenactors from the Montana Honor Guard established a replica campsite at the Lower (downstream) Portage Camp situated several miles south of modern day Great Falls. Spectators stand as the color guard makes it way forward. Presentation of the colors was followed immediately afterward by a rendition of the National Anthem by the former Miss America of 2002, Katie Harman.

Another view of the replica encampment at the Lower Portage Camp. A view of the Washington State coastline near Cape Disappointment, located about five miles south of Long Beach, WA. The expedition ventured as far north as Cape Disappointment, named by an English seafarer in 1788, in search of natural harbors and anchorages that could shelter trading vessels from storms.
Photo: One of the Montana Honor Guard’s replica canoes with hand-carved wheeled carriage. Can you imagine paddling a open wooden canoe for thirty miles in these rough waters? The Lewis and Clark expedition did, traveling from Fort Clatsop, Oregon back up the Columbia River to cross over at a narrower point than its turbulent five mile wide mouth before traveling back down the Columbia along the Washington State shoreline to reach Cape Disappointment.
Photo: Close up of the opposite side of the canoe and carriage. A view of Dismal Nitch where a great storm forced the expedition to hunker down for five days (November 10 - 14, 1805) on the Washington State shoreline one mile east of the mouth of the Columbia River. This must have been especially frustrating to Meriwether Lewis as he had already sighted the Pacific Ocean. This site is located along Highway 101 approximately one mile west of the present-day Astoria-Megler Bridge.
Another view of the front axle of the carriage.

Members of the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps at Long Beach, WA.
Photo: Lewis and Clark’s “Air Rifle” - it is shown here disassembled into three basic components – stock (air reservoir), barrel and receiver, and air pump. A Corps of Engineers employee portrays a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the National Park Service Corps II traveling exhibit at Long Beach, WA.

Photo: Bow view of the assembled frame of the “iron boat” that Lewis and Clark hoped to use for the remainder of their trip to the Pacific Ocean rather than carve out two new canoes at the Lower Portage Camp. Two Corps of Engineers reencators introduce spectators to the intricacies of nineteenth century dancing. One reenactor is portraying Private George Gibson, a river hand enlisted by Lewis and Clark who also possessed considerable musical talents. The Lewis and Clark journal frequently make mention of Private Cruzatte playing his fiddle at the end of a tiring day to help lift the morale of his fellow Soldiers.
Photo: Walt Walker of the Montana Honor Guard demonstrates how the expedition attempted to cover the experimental iron framed boat with animal hides laid atop thin strips of wood. Private George Gibson, dressed in the uniform of a new recruit, playing his fiddle for the spectators in the Corps II portable exhibit hall known as the "Tent of Many Voices".

Photo: A close up view of how the expedition hoped to construct a “hull” for the iron framed boat.

Some of the spectators at the Long Beach, WA event try their hand at nineteenth century style dancing.
Photo: Another perspective of the iron frame boat looking from bow to stern. As you can see for yourself, it was much longer than most people supposed.  

Private George Gibson, along with his able assistant, pose for photographs with their fans after the music has ended.
Photo: The Great Falls fairgrounds also hosted a number of indoor Lewis and Clark displays, to include one manned by dedicated members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Oregon Army National Guard had a display tent at the Long Beach, WA Lewis and Clark commemorative event.
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees garbed in period clothing at the Great Falls fairgrounds exhibit. The gentleman dressed in gray and black is wearing the uniform of a newly recruited member of the expedition while the other is dressed as engagé Pierre Cruzatte.

The Army National Guard display tent featured information on the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as citizen soldiers throughout our nation's history.
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reenactors belonging to "Captain Lewis' Company" begin a long day of fatigue duty at their encampment in Long Beach.

US Army Corps of Engineers reenactors belonging to "Captain Lewis' Company" begin a long day of fatigue duty at their encampment in Long Beach.
Photo: A view of the Salt Works employed by the Lewis and Clark expedition to boil seawater in order to obtain salt used to cure meat and for trading purposes with neighboring Native American tribes. This kiln, which was reconstructed on the site of the original, is located in the present day town of Seaside, Oregon. The stone kiln seen here is located about 30 minutes by automobile from Fort Clatsop, which translates to a trek of several days by the Lewis and Clark expedition.

A view of the Salt Works employed by the Lewis and Clark expedition to boil seawater in order to obtain salt used to cure meat and for trading purposes with neighboring Native American tribes. This kiln, which was reconstructed on the site of the original, is located in the present day town of Seaside, Oregon. The stone kiln seen here is located about 30 minutes by automobile from Fort Clatsop, which translates to a trek of several days by the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Photo: The Salt Works were established on 3 January 1806 and remained in operation until 20 February 1806. During that period, the three members of the expedition detailed as "saltmakers" succeeded in obtaining four bushels of salt.

The Salt Works were established on 3 January 1806 and remained in operation until 20 February 1806. During that period, the three members of the expedition detailed as "saltmakers" succeeded in obtaining four bushels of salt.
Photo: Another view of the Salt Works. The actual site was established in 1900 by the Oregon Historical Society using oral history accounts from Native American tribes who lived in the area at the time of Lewis and Clark.

Another view of the Salt Works. The actual site was established in 1900 by the Oregon Historical Society using oral history accounts from Native American tribes who lived in the area at the time of Lewis and Clark.
Photo: How did the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition live while they were building Fort Clatsop? Here you can see an example of the canvas tentage used as shelters by the enlisted men.

How did the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition live while they were building Fort Clatsop? Here you can see an example of the canvas tentage used as shelters by the enlisted men.
Photo: One of the members of the expedition is seen here using a specialized tool to scrape fur from a pelt that will be used to make new clothing.

One of the members of the expedition is seen here using a specialized tool to scrape fur from a pelt that will be used to make new clothing.

Photo: Another view of the tentage used by the Lewis and Clark expedition while they were building Fort Clatsop. This temporary camp is located in the Lewis and Clark National Forest about fifty yards from the actual site of Fort Clatsop.

Another view of the tentage used by the Lewis and Clark expedition while they were building Fort Clatsop. This temporary camp is located in the Lewis and Clark National Forest about fifty yards from the actual site of Fort Clatsop.

Photo: Several reenactors are busily engaged building a new smokehouse for the Corps of Discovery to store meat brought in by hunting parties.

Several reenactors are busily engaged building a new smokehouse for the Corps of Discovery to store meat brought in by hunting parties.
Photo: The replica of Fort Clatsop, which was originally built in 1955, burned to the ground on 8 October 2005. It is scheduled to be rebuilt beginning in December 2005. Until then, members of the National Park Service and academia are conducting an archeological dig on the site hoping to find several more artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The replica of Fort Clatsop, which was originally built in 1955, burned to the ground on 8 October 2005. It is scheduled to be rebuilt beginning in December 2005. Until then, members of the National Park Service and academia are conducting an archeological dig on the site hoping to find several more artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Photo: Archeologists searching for artifacts at Fort Clatsop. The concrete foundations, barely visible in the background, were laid in 1955 when the replica was built. The real Fort Clatsop did not have any concrete foundations as it was constructed entirely of wood.

Archeologists searching for artifacts at Fort Clatsop. The concrete foundations, barely visible in the background, were laid in 1955 when the replica was built. The real Fort Clatsop did not have any concrete foundations as it was constructed entirely of wood.

Photo: Another view of the ongoing archeological dig at Fort Clatsop.

Another view of the ongoing archeological dig at Fort Clatsop.

 
L&C Home      The People      The Mission      Explore     L&C Links
Center of Military History      US Army