WALLACE W HANSEN

Native Plants of the Northwest

Native Plant Nursery & Gardens

2158 Bower Ct S.E., Salem, Oregon 97301 E-Mail: Wallace W Hansen
PHONE (503)581-2638 FAX(503)581-9957

Updated April 24, 2003

Wallace Hansen Celebrates Lewis and Clark

Botanical Discoveries of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Berries: Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)

The Dalles in Wasco County, Oregon, April 15, 1806

Of the Thimbleberry, Lewis wrote this is a "shrub of which the natives eat the yung sprout without kooking." Earlier on April 8, he found both the Thimbleberry and the Salmonberry and noted the differences between the two. Because of his notes on April 8, it may be that he actually collected them on that day instead of the 15th as indicated in his journal.

The Serviceberry, also known as Saskatoon, was collected either April 11 or 15. Again, there is mention in Captain Clark's journals of this berry on the 11th but the specimen is dated the 15th.

At whatever date the specimens were collected, these three berries are as delicious today as they were in 1806. Fortunately for us, some things don't change! These Northwest Native shrubs are included at special low prices during our Spring Sale.

(Click on image for large view)

At this time in 1806:

The Expedition prepares to give up their canoes and proceed over land. To this end, they are collecting provisions and horses. The Corps strikes a bargain after some parlay with the native peoples.

We sold our canoes for a few strands of beads. The natives had tantalized us with an exchange of horses for our canoes in the first instance, but when they found that we had made our arrangements to travel by land they would give us nothing for them. We sent Drouilliard to cut them up. He struck one and split her. They discovered that we were determined to destroy the canoes and offered us several strands of beads, which were accepted. Most of the party complain of their feet and legs this evening being very sore. It is no doubt caused by walking over the rough stone and deep sand after being accustomed to a soft soil. My legs and feet give me much pain. I bathed them in cold water from which I experienced considerable relief.  
Captain Clark, 24 April 1806

More visitors led by Yellept, Chief of the Wallawallas. This nation is friendly after urging by Yellept. As was the norm, the interaction between the native peoples and the Corps was very interesting.

The principal chief of the Wallawallas joined us with six men of his nation. This chief, by name Yellept, had visited us on the morning of the 19th of October [1805] at our encampment a little below this place. We gave him at that time a small medal and promised him a larger one on our return. He appeared much gratified at seeing us return, invited us to remain at his village three or four days, and assured us that we should be furnished with a plenty of such food as they had themselves, and some horses to assist us on our journey. After our scanty repast we continued our march, accompanied by Yellept and his party, to the village.

Yellept harangued his village in our favor, entreated them to furnish us with fuel and provision, and set the example himself by bringing us an armful of wood and a platter of three roasted mullets. The others soon followed his ex- ample with respect to fuel, and we soon found ourselves in possession of an ample stock. 
Captain Lewis, 27 April 1806

This morning early, Yellept brought a very elegant white horse to our camp and presented him to Captain Clark, signifying his wish to get a kettle, but, on being informed that we had already disposed of every kettle we could possibly spare, he said he was content with whatever he thought proper to give him. Captain Clark gave him his sword, for which he had expressed a great desire, a hundred balls and powder, and some small articles, with which he appeared perfectly satisfied.

Chief Yellept wanted the Corps to stay on for a few more days as he had invited the Chymnappos, a neighboring nation, to join them and see the Expedition members dance. Though they were anxious to be on their way, they wanted Yellept to loan them some canoes to cross the river. Yellept decided they could stay 2-3 more days to enjoy the dancing and would not allow the loan. He had the Corps where he wanted them. However, another bargain was struck, the canoes were loaned, the dancing was done, trades were performed and everyone was satisfied. Captain Clark deemed the Wallawallas to be "friendly, honest people."

Current events:

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:
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

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

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

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