Wednesday, June 11, 2003
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Wednesday, June 11, 2003 |
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Lewis and Clark: Catch The Fever By MICHAEL BOYLAN Part of my job requires me to read other papers and keep my finger on the pulse of society. In Monday's News section of USA Today there was a feature with the headline, "Lewis and Clark fever catches on." I wondered if this was so and headed out to talk to the people of the county about their bouts of "Lewis and Clark Fever!" Me: What do you think about Lewis and Clark? Unidentified man: Man, Lennox Lewis would kill Dick Clark. That dude is like 100. Unidentified kid (to same question): If I want to watch Superman stuff, I'll watch the movies with Christopher Reeve. Me: Do you have "Lewis and Clark Fever"? Unidentified woman: No. Clark Fever, maybe. That Clark Howard saves me a bundle. But, Emmanuel Lewis? I'm not really a fan. I don't mean to poke fun. Lewis and Clark's expedition is a major part of American history and I think it is great that there may be people out there who have "Lewis and Clark Fever" and plan on spending parts of the next three years celebrating. Here's a quick background on Lewis and Clark: Meriwether Lewis (yes, people were really named things like Meriwether back in the 1800s) and William Clark were told by President Thomas Jefferson to look for a transcontinental river route. The U.S. had just completed the Louisiana Purchase with France, and Jefferson wanted Lewis and Clark to check out the land. They started the trip on the Missouri River, traveled over what now includes 15 states, found that there was no transcontinental river route, crossed the Rocky Mountains on horseback and made it to the Pacific Ocean. The journey spanned 8,000 miles, which is roughly the length of all of the lines at Six Flags Over Georgia on a Saturday afternoon combined, and included a crew of 33 permanent party members known as the Corps of Discovery. A little-known fact is that Lewis and Clark had wanted to call the group The Traveling Finder Guys but it was vetoed by President Jefferson. The Corps of Discovery also was aided by a Shoshone Indian woman known as Sacagawea, who acted as the group's translator. Most of the time, Sacky, which is what the group called her when not appearing before messengers and couriers, told the Indian tribes that they encountered that, despite how the group may look and smell, they were cool. Over the 28-month-long journey, Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery collected animal and plant specimens and, despite suffering some minor squirrel bites and poison ivy and poison oak breakouts, found great success. They also recorded weather data and traded with Indian tribes. When the group made it to Fort Clatsop in Oregon and saw the ocean, Clark wrote, "Ocian in view! O! The joy!" I mention this only because it is so funny that Clark spelled ocean wrong. Also, you can use this spelling the next time you play Scrabble. Just tell them, "That's the way American hero William Clark wrote it, so shut up!" As amazing as Lewis and Clark's journey is, I find it hard to believe that there are the 30 million people that LewisandClark200.com estimates there are with "Lewis and Clark Fever." I'll give you around 15 million people, all parents, and this summer they will be in the front seats of cars turning to their children in the back seat and saying, "This is where Lewis and Clark started their amazing journey, kids." Meanwhile, the children will be wishing for a Lewis and Clark-themed water park. I guess I just find it disheartening that even a feat like Lewis and Clark's gets trivialized, though people's intentions are good. Just visit the LewisandClark200.com Web site and you'll see Lewis and Clark belt buckles, wallets and money clips, air fresheners and a $158 commemorative wreath. In fact, there are cities trying to cash in on the "Lewis and Clark Fever" that weren't even really part of the journey. A town in West Virginia is saying, "This is the town where Lewis bought some supplies for the trip." I wouldn't be surprised if one town puts up a plaque and an animatronic statue illustrating the moment that Lewis turned around before traveling to meet up with Clark at the departure point, sure that he left his potbellied stove going. I wish that I could believe that America had "Lewis and Clark Fever." I think it is important that people of all ages view this land and realize that it used to be untamed, wild, dangerous and exotic. It would be great if 30 million people wanted to take the journey from Missouri to Oregon and back again, living simpler and gaining a true appreciation for the sacrifice that over 30 men and one women gave. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are children wading in local creeks as I write this that are shouting, "This way, Meriwether. We'll find the ocian yet" and "It's spelled ocean, you dolt" and "How do you know I spelled it wrong when I pronounced it the same?" I hope so, but I doubt it.
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