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Southwest |
A large compass dominates
the floor of the lobby at the entrance to the Lewis and Clark National
Historic Trail Interpretive Center with glass doors opening to the
Portage Cache
Store where visitors can buy a variety of gifts and books relevant to the
famed expedition.
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Interpretive Center is situated on the shores of the Missouri River, a
half-mile from Giant Springs State Park. Located in
Great Falls, the 5,500
square-foot, two-storey interpretive center honors the discoveries and
accomplishments of Lewis and Clark during their two-year round-trip trek
from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.
Filled with hands-on interpretive displays,
maps and specimens from the Corps of Discovery’s 1804-1806 exploration, the
Center offers an in-depth view of 20 carefully selected events that shaped
the outcome of the exploration. Each display is crafted with an eye to
accuracy and is based on the actual reports and journal summaries of Capts.
Lewis and Clark and their men. Included in the display are replicas and
original artifacts of specimens that the team sent back to President Thomas
Jefferson in 1805, such as an accurate hand-drawn map of their trail from
St. Louis to Ft. Mandan (what is today, North Dakota) and specimens of
unusual plants and animals found along the route.
 A
central feature of the displays is a carefully constructed reenactment of
the expedition's portage around the the Great Falls of the Missouri River.
Recreating the scene was no mean feat. Transporting canoes,
supplies and other equipment over land meant hauling
everything by a hand or by a hand-made wooden
trailer and pulley system up rocky cliffs and mountainsides, through brush
and forest and through miserable weather conditions. What was thought to be
a few days’ journey turned out to be a month-long endeavor, as the men
successfully negotiated their way by foot around five waterfalls, some of
which were as much as 70 to 80 feet in height. To recreate this important
scene, designers built a canoe out of foam and fiberglass and cast
likenesses of actors posed at the point of action. Actors were required to
hold their poses sometimes for more than 30 minutes at a time, while artists
reconstructed the scenes based on Lewis and Clark’s factual accounts.
The museum also has several interactive
displays that allow visitors to “recreate” parts of the journey, such as a
display that shows viewers how the trip might have turned out had the
explorers picked a different path to reach their destination.
Paved trails outside the center trace the explorer’s stopping points along
the river, allowing visitors to recreate the vision of Lewis’ and Clark’s
bold journey west more than 200 years ago.
The Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) exhibit in the
Interpretive Center includes several items
important to the Nez Perce lifestyle. From the top left, the
exhibit includes a salmon trap and a camas
digging stick (fish and camas bulbs were staples
in the Nimiipuu diet), buckskin leggings and a
saddle pad, a basket with camas bulbs;
and in the foreground, a diagram of the
ground ovens used to prepare camas. A sample of
tule reed mat walls, a common building technique
in Nez Perce country, is at the far right.
Related
Links
Corps of
Discovery
Discovering Lewis and Clark
Lewis
and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. 4201 Giant
Springs Road, Great Falls, MT
59405. Phone: 406-727-8733; Fax:
406-453-6157.
Lewis and Clark
Interpretive Association. P.O. Box 2848, Great Falls, MT 59403. Phone:
406-452-5661; Fax: 406-453-6157.
E-mail
Lewis and Clark Trail.com
The Lewis and Clark Trail Guide
The Portage Cache
Store. 4201 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405. Phone:
406-453-6248; Fax: 406-453-6157.
E-mail
Bike the Trail
Lewis and Clark Trail |
Weather
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Go Northwest!
Bookstore
Best selection of books on the
Northwest.
Click here!
Moon
Handbooks: Montana
by W. C. McRae, Judy Jewell
February 2002, 5th edition, Paperback,
480 pages, (guidebook)
Filled with upscale resorts and restaurants and
more low-to-mid-priced lodgings and dining options, this guide also contains
vignettes on the theatrical career of Calamity Jane and how Meriwether Lewis
named the prairie dog.
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