Lewis and Clark with Wallace W Hansen Native Plants of the Northwest

WALLACE W HANSEN

Native Plants of the Northwest

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Updated July 05, 2005

Wallace Hansen Celebrates Lewis and Clark

Botanical Discoveries of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)

Cowlitz River in Oregon, March 27, 1806

Lewis collected this specimen on March 27, 1806. That day the expedition stopped near Rainier and near Globe, both in Columbia County, Oregon. The specimen shown, upper right, may have come from either place.

We imagine Lewis was attracted to the plant because of it's wonderful color. He probably foresaw landscape uses as it is quite attractive.

Buy this tree at low bare root prices during our Winter Bareroot Sale, going on now.

A new Heidi Hansen original painting celebrating the Lewis and Clark botanical discoveries

(Click on image for large view)

At this time in 1806:

The journey home has begun. The party is fresh from their overwinter stay at Fort Clatsop and eager to be on the trail.

"We had a view of Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood. The first is the most noble-looking object of its kind in nature. Its figure is a regular cone. Both these mountains are perfectly covered with snow -- at least the parts of them which are visible. The highlands in this valley are rolling, though by no means too steep for cultivation. They are generally fertile, of a dark rich loam and tolerably free of stone."
Captain Lewis, 30 March 1806

The Expedition had barely begun the return trip when they met with several members of the Shahala nation who told the party of a large river that had been missed in their travels. Captain Clark says:

"We readily prevailed on them to give us a sketch of this river, which they drew on a mat with a coal. It appeared that this river, which they call Multnomah, discharged itself behind the island we call the Image Canoe Island, and as we had left this island to the south in descending and ascending the river we had never seen it. They informed us that it was a large river, and runs a considerable distance to the south between the mountains."

At this information, Captain Clark took a side trip in search of this river. Not one to pass up an opportunity to procure supplies, he tried to trade for some wappato (elk meat). He says the natives were "sulky and they positively refused to sell any." Captain Clark deigned to take this refusal as the final word and set about changing their minds.

"I had a small piece of port fire match in my pocket, off of which I cut a piece one inch in length and put it into the fire, and took out my pocket compass and sat myself down on a mat on one side of the fire, and also showed a magnet, which was in the top of my inkstand. The port fire caught and burned vehemently, which changed the color of the fire. With the magnet I turned the needle of the compass about very briskly, which astonished and alarmed these natives, and they laid several parcels of wappato at my feet, and begged of me to take out the bad fire. To this I consented. At this moment, the match being exhausted was of course extinguished, and I put up the magnet, &c. This measure alarmed them so much that the women and children took shelter in their beds, and behind the men. All this time, a very old blind man was speaking with great vehemence, apparently imploring his god."

And so by his bold action and keeping his eye on the prize, Captain Clark brought back to the Corps some fresh meat and documentation of another river, both greatly prized.

Next week we look again at the interaction between the Expedition and the peoples and lands they found on their way home.

*Current events:*
If you're in the area of Columbia, Missouri, the first part of May, 2003, don't miss this outstanding event! Columbia, Missouri • May 2, 3 and 4, 2003 World Premiere Show-Me Opera of the University of Missouri-Columbia will present The World Premiere of Corps of Discovery, A Musical Journey May 2, 3 and 4, 2003 The three-act musical drama is an artistic interpretation, 200 years later, of the significance of Lewis and Clark’s expedition Cast and Action of Corps of Discovery, A Musical Journey By Michael Ching and Hugh Moffatt Pamela Legendre, Artistic Director Commissioned by MU Show-Me Opera University of Missouri-Columbia Cast: Capt. Meriwether Lewis (tenor), Organizer of the Expedition, Jefferson’s secretary Capt. William Clark (baritone), Co-commander, brought on by Lewis George Shannon (tenor), Youngest member of the Corps John Potts (baritone), One of the older members of the Corps, born in Germany Sacagawea (soprano), 16-year-old Shoshone wife of Charbonneau Toussaint Charbonneau (tenor), 37-year-old French interpreter York (bass-baritone), Slave belonging to Clark Other characters: Members of the Corps and the Teton Sioux, Hidatsa, Mandan and Shoshone tribes and vision characters ACT I – Camp Dubois to Fort Mandan (December 1803 to April 1805) It is September 1806, and the Corps has just returned to St. Louis. Shannon and Potts find themselves deluged with questions by the patrons of a tavern, La Tigresse. Among the adventures they relate are vignettes of the formation of the Corps, the tense encounter with the Teton Sioux, the joyful dancing and celebration with the Mandans one New Year’s Day, and the birth of Pomp, Sacagawea’s son, in February 1805. Potts realizes during his stories that he has been changed by his travels and by the beauty and wildness of the land and its people. At the end of the act, he determines to return to the West. Shannon discovers that his experience with Sacagawea’s family has given him a need to settle down with a family of his own. ACT II – Fort Mandan to the Pacific (Summer to Christmas Day 1805) It is August 1806, and the Corps has returned to the Mandan/Hidatsa villages on its way back to St. Louis. Sacagawea joins her family group of women who are drying squash. She relates that Captain Clark has asked to take Pomp back to St. Louis to raise and educate as his own son. Sacagawea finds herself challenged by the women to defend her travels with the white men. She remembers the flash flood when Clark saved her and Pomp’s lives, her time of great illness when Clark nursed her and a vision she had. She describes the meeting of the Corps with her tribe by birth, the Shoshone, in August 1805, when she discovered her brother, Cameahwait, had become chief. She recalls the vote on the Columbia River and the Christmas at Fort Clatsop. At the end of her stories, Sacagawea realizes that her richness of experience has set her apart from others. She is of no nation and of all nations. She embraces her individuality as she decides to send her son to Clark when he is older. ACT III – The Death of Lewis (Oct. 11, 1809) The scene is Grinder’s Inn on the Natchez Trace, Tenn. There is a sound of gunshots, and Lewis staggers out with self-inflicted wounds. While he is dying, he is visited by vision characters who guide him toward personal peace and meaning. There is The Bear, his totem and spirit guide; Bates, his political enemy in St. Louis; Jefferson; York and Sacagawea as messengers from the future; and finally, Clark as an old, disillusioned Indian agent. Lewis’ despair is countered by his spiritual connection to the wilderness. As he dies, he realizes the success of his dream — to further the happiness of the human race and advance the information of the succeeding generation — and that the partnership between diverse cultures that the Corps of Discovery represented offers us great hope for the future. For information on booking the three-act Show-Me Opera production or the 45-minute smaller stage version; for rental or purchase of orchestral score and parts; and for rental or purchase of piano/vocal score and other options, please contact: Pamela Legendre, Director of Show-Me Opera University of Missouri-Columbia 138 Fine Arts Building Columbia, MO 65211 Phone: (573) 882-7657 E-mail: legendrep@missouri.edu The Creative Team of Corps of Discovery, A Musical Journey Michael Ching, Composer Michael Ching is a prolific composer, as well as the general and artistic director of Opera Memphis. His composition credits include operas such as Buoso’s Ghost and Faith, as well as concerti and symphonic works. With librettist Hugh Moffatt, Ching has co-written two one-act operas: King of the Clouds, commissioned in 1993 by Dayton Opera, and Out of the Rain, commissioned in 1998 jointly by Opera Delaware, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Opera Memphis. Hugh Moffatt, Librettist Singer/songwriter Hugh Moffatt has released seven highly acclaimed country music albums and toured extensively around the world. Artists who have recorded his songs include Dolly Parton, Alabama, Ronnie Milsap, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patti Page, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Merle Haggard, Johnny Rodriguez, Kathy Mattea and many others. His previous collaborations with Michael Ching are the successful one-act operas, King of the Clouds and Out of the Rain. Pamela Legendre, Artistic Director Pamela Legendre, an assistant professor in the MU School of Music, is the director of Show-Me Opera. For 15 years, she has been an active orchestral and choral conductor, as well as stage director and pianist in the New Orleans area. She served as guest director and conductor for the University of New Orleans Opera Theatre Workshop, preparing and performing full-length opera productions. She has been music director and conductor for more than 60 theatre productions, primarily at Tulane University Summer Lyric Theatre and Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré. For 10 years, she was guest conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, a professional symphonic orchestra in New Orleans.

The Corps of Discovery II Lewis and Clark Traveling Exhibit Beginning it's 4-year tour, stopping at communities along the trail that the Corp of Discovery took during the three years and eight months it took to make their journey. The exhibit will end in Oregon. The exhibit consists of a 53-foot long trailer carrying two tents, a stage, chairs, lighting, sound and visual gear and heating and air-conditioning equipment. One tent will hold an audio tour of replicas of historical paintings depicting the expedition's main characters and the landscapes they saw. Guided and sponsored by the following organizations: Library Associations of Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Oregon - which collectively comprise Trail States Library Associations - and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).

Deepwood Estate Museum 1894 Queen Anne Style Home Salem, Oregon Landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver were commissioned by Alice Brown to create the formal gardens at Deepwood Estate. Lord and Schryver were the first formally trained women landscape architects in the Northwest. Pictured at right, top, is the 1905 Lewis & Clark Gazebo acquired by Mrs. Brown and sited at Deepwood in 1949. Below is an architectural drawing of the grounds at Deepwood. Deepwood is the most significant example of landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver's Northwest work. It is their only garden design that is open to the public. Intriguing features at Deepwood include a scroll garden with a hidden signature, an ivy tunnel and a pastel tea garden. There are three other superb examples of their designs in the area, but they are associated with private residences.
Visitor Information 1116 Mission Street SE Salem, Oregon 97302 Deepwood grounds open dawn to dusk daily at no charge. Deepwood House Tours are 12:00-5:00 pm. hourly, May thru September, Sunday-Friday; October thru April, Tuesday-Saturday Admission: Adults, $4.00/Students and Seniors, $3.00/Children, $2.00 (under six - free) http://www.oregonlink.com/deepwood/ House Tour Information: 503-363-1825

PICTURING THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY: The Lewis and Clark Expedition in Oregon Art An exhibit at the State Capitol building Presented by Oregon Historical Society
December 20, 2002 through December 2004 State Capital building, 900 Court Street NE, Salem, Oregon 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday Closed - Sunday
"Picturing the Corps of Discovery demonstrates how artistic interpretations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition mirror the history and evolving values of Americans, and more specifically Oregonians, over the past two centuries. Viewers will be introduced to works of art with Lewis-and-Clark themes that reflect changing understandings of topics as diverse as democratic ideals, ethnicity, and the environment. A collection of images of Lewis and Clark pointing westward, including Frank Schwarz's treasured 1938 mural in Oregon's Capitol rotunda, demonstrate how the two explorers were credited with introducing civilization to the West well into the first half of the twentieth century. By the end of the century, however, works like Michael Florin Dente's 1988 sculpture, The Naming of Mount Jefferson, at the University of Portland, celebrated the expedition's ethnic mix as a historical precedent for a multicultural, pluralistic society in the West." http://www.ohs.org/exhibits/picturing-the-corp-of-discovery.cfm

*Back Issues:* To see back issues of *Wallace Hansen Celebrates Lewis and Clark*, click on this link to jump to the index.
*Commemorative Painting by Heidi Hansen:* The illustrated map below was created by renowned botanical artist Heidi D. Hansen especially for this website. Done in ink and watercolors, Heidi shows many of the plants Captain Lewis documented overlaid atop a map showing a portion of the journey. (Click on image for large view).


Good luck and happy gardening! Wally