Corps of Discovery II

Associated Press
September 19, 2000

[This article was the result of a press breakfast on the subject of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial hosted by the National Park Service during the Discovery 2000 Conference]

ST. LOUIS (AP) – When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived in North Dakota, on their way to the Pacific Coast under the charge of President Thomas Jefferson, they were greeted by members of the Hidatsa tribe.

They were Gerald Baker's ancestors, and he said they probably greeted the two Louisiana Purchase explorers with an expression that, roughly translated, means "What are you guys doing here?"

Baker wants to hear a lot of that, from small-town residents eating lunch in a roadside diner to city school children who've never seen anything as wide and vast as North Dakota's prairies. They might never visit any point along the 3,700-mile Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, but to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the voyage, the National Park Service plans to bring the trail to them.

"We're going to bring a lot of people," Baker said. "We hope the small towns are ready for us."

Baker is the superintendent of "Corps of Discovery II," perhaps the most creative project in the Park Service's history. Starting in 2003, 10 to 15 Park Service interpreters will set out on three buses to follow the route of the original Corps of Discovery.

The trip will follow Lewis and Clark's journey day-by-day, taking three and a half years. During the winter months, when the two explorers stayed in one place for the entire season, the Park Service interpreters will take the traveling exhibit to areas off the original trail, including southern states like Florida and Texas.

Along with the expected Web site, meetings with students and a traveling exhibit, there is talk of broadcasting a daily "Lewis and Clark" minute on shows like "Today." Longer shows could feature stops at local cafes for chats with residents about how their town has changed since Lewis and Clark passed through.

It's that kind of emerging from the park, in such an active way, that's unique.

"We are always going to be here for the public," said Cal Calabrese, the associate director of the service's Midwest region. "But we will take it to them if they don't come."

If it's not the main theme, that idea is certainly near the forefront of Discovery 2000, the Park Service's general conference. Gathered in St. Louis this week are 1,350 park superintendents, park employees and others for the Service's first general conference since 1988.

That conference was mostly for park superintendents, said Service director Robert Stanton. This time, the Service wanted to bring in a wider group of staff, including those who don't work for the Park Service, Stanton said.

"They ultimately will be the future stewards and leaders of the Park Service," he said.

Along with days focused on leadership, cultural and natural resources, the current and future leaders of the Park Service spent Wednesday talking about education. Reaching those who never visit a park, via the Internet or satellite broadcast, and providing better access to the parks' resources, were on the agenda.

"We feel very strongly that the value of the parks are of such significance to this nation, that every American citizen should have the benefit of learning about their heritage from the parks," Stanton said.

Baker said Corps of Discovery II offers that benefit, but also adds to the experience what a visitor to the Lewis and Clark Trail might have. Baker learned about Lewis and Clark as a child from the oral history of his people while growing up in North Dakota, an experience he believes should be shared.

"We want to work with tribes to tell their stories," Baker said.

The story one tribe tells might not match with another's, but that's OK, Baker said. "We want to hear them all."

The idea for the traveling commemoration of the Lewis and Clark expedition was born in St. Louis, at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, better known as the Gateway Arch. Bob Moore, the park's historian, came up with the idea, and soon found others taking interest.

"So, first it was one truck," Moore said. "Then, we wanted to be able to send out broadcasts of the trip. OK, so now we got another truck."

Other federal agencies are working with the Park Service to plan the trip. Moore said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is thinking about tagging along to do the same kind of research Lewis and Clark did on the Missouri River.

Stanton said the Park Service is headed toward doing more "bringing the park to you" kind of projects, like the Corps of Discovery II.

"I think the American people expect that," he said.