Lewis & Clark Living History Weekend

The Pacific Northwest Living Historians (PNLH) will demonstrate the tools and skills employed by the explorers of the epic Lewis and Clark expedition during this two-day special event. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, and to seek the best route to the Pacific Ocean through what we now call the Pacific Northwest. During their voyage of 1804 – 1806, they led the Corps of Northwestern Discovery overland from St. Louis, Missouri, to the mouth of the Columbia River and back again. With no means for resupply, the Corps (a U.S. Army unit of 31 men accompanied by Sacagawea and her infant child, Jean Baptiste) needed to use a diverse combination of skills, along with the right tools, in order to survive. Dressed in clothing of the style and materials worn by the members of the Corps in 1805-1806, PNLH interpreters will demonstrate and discuss many of those tools and skills, such as handling flintlock firearms, fire starting with flint and steel, camp cooking, making clothing from leather, and making canoe paddles. Visitors will also learn the history and stories of the Lewis and Clark expedition: the native people that they met, the unfamiliar territory they traveled and mapped, and the strange new animals and plants they discovered. The program will take place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday.