From August 9th to 10th, the Museum will host our annual Lewis and Clark Days. During this two-day special event, the Pacific Northwest Living Historians (PNLH) will demonstrate the tools and skills employed by the explorers of the epic Lewis and Clark expedition.

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 diverse skills and the right tools to survive.

Dressed in clothing of the style and materials worn by Corps members in 1805-1806, PNLH interpreters will demonstrate and discuss various tools and skills, including handling flintlock firearms, camp cooking, leather crafting, and canoe paddle making. Visitors can learn about the history and stories of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Native people they met, the unfamiliar territory they traveled and mapped, and the strange new animals and plants they encountered.

The program will take place all day Saturday and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. Thank you to Columbia REA for sponsoring this event.