Along the Missouri

Lewis & Clark statue in Seaside, OR. pictures courtesy the author

I just spent a few days in Cannon Beach, Oregon, at the Miyazaki family reunion--what a glory to have cool nights, a beach and bonfire at your front door.

In addition to relaxing, groups dinners, sand castles and a rain forest hike, we did some touring around to Seaside, OR, where I found the statue above. Lewis & Clark wintered in the area in 1805, camping, uninvited, on Clatsop nation land just south of what is now Astoria, OR.














Fort Clatsup, OR.

In addition to this lovely recreation of L & C's fort, there were great educational programs. A park ranger, dressed as a 19th century fur trapper, played a game of "telephone" with five volunteers to show how tough negotiating was for the Americans--they went from English to French to Hidatsu to Shoshone to Clatsup to trade one horse.

A brief film presented the Corps' presence from the side of the Clatsup--one of the chief's descendants played a role, and another woman talked about the misunderstandings, the thefts, the conflicting social rules.

Missed translations, beginning and ending of empires--it all seems so current.