Trail Stewardship: A Lasting Commitment | | | |
Trail stewardship is a cornerstone of the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance’s mission, and recent efforts highlight the importance of this work. During a recent Work Weekend on the Lolo Pass, volunteers joined Chuck Raddon to inventory interpretive signs and perform maintenance along the historic route—hands-on work that protects and enhances the visitor experience.
LCTA supports stewardship through Trail Stewardship Grants and by promoting opportunities for public involvement, including river cleanups, Earth Day events, Interpretive Sign replacement, and more.
Looking ahead, we’re preparing for an ambitious new project: opening the 100-mile land corridor of the Lewis and Clark Hiking Trail across the Lolo Pass between Missoula, Montana and Lewiston, Idaho. This initiative will revive a continuous multi-use trail for hiking and horseback riding, following the U.S. Forest Service route through the Lolo Corridor. With community partnerships and public engagement—including a new Lolo Challenge Trail Run event — we aim to elevate cultural awareness, promote access, and ensure lasting care for this historic landscape.
Interested in supporting Trail Stewardship? Contact us to learn more.
Richard Hunt
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Featured Program
Thomas Jefferson meets his 5th Great Grandson
Renowned historian and We Proceeded On Editor Clay Jenkinson, known for his role in portraying Thomas Jefferson, will conduct a unique interview that will be fun, entertaining, and an informative dialogue with Jefferson’s descendant Robert Eppes. Together, they will examine the Jefferson–Eppes family stories through the generations.
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Robert Eppes
Robert is a 5th generation great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha Wayles (Skelton) Jefferson. He is past President of the Monticello Association, an organization of Mr. Jefferson’s lineal descendants who own and operate the Monticello Graveyard, and currently serves as Interim Graveyard Custodian He has been an amateur filmmaker, playwright, actor, director, and producer and is President of a local chapter of the global non-profit organization, Junior Achievement.
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Clay Jenkinson
Clay is a public humanities scholar, a writer, a master interviewer and moderator, documentary filmmaker, and a historical impersonator (a Chautauquan). He is the author of 13 books spanning topics from Thomas Jefferson, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Theodore Roosevelt, the literature of pandemics, and his beloved North Dakota. He is frequently featured as an expert commentator on historical documentaries, collaborating with the likes of Ken Burns and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
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Don't Miss the Deadline
Early Bird Registration Ends July 31
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Silent Auction Returns for the Annual Gathering!
A treasured tradition at the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance Annual Gathering, the Silent Auction features a unique collection of Lewis and Clark-themed items—including books, artwork, jewelry, quilts, memoribilia, and other treasures.
Proceeds from the auction directly support the William P. Sherman Library and Archives at the LCTA office in Great Falls, Montana. Home to more than 3,000 rare and contemporary books and relevant materials about the Corps of Discovery, the library is a vital resource for historians, researchers, and Lewis and Clark enthusiasts from across the country.
Featured auction items this year include:
- A rare Pendleton blanket designed exclusively for the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation.
- A collectible set of five action figure dolls representing Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, York, Sacagawea, and Charbonneau—each boxed and accessorized.
Interested in Donating to the Auction?
We welcome donations that align with the spirit and theme of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Please follow these steps:
Step 1: Contact Georgia Kline with the details of your potential donation.
- For books: Include the title, author, publication date, and a photo showing its condition.
- For other items: Provide a brief description, approximate size, and a clear photograph.
Step 2: Library and Archive Committee members will review your submission to ensure it fits the auction criteria and will coordinate delivery details if the item is accepted.
Please do not bring items directly to the event without prior approval.
We appreciate your generosity and support in making this year’s Silent Auction a memorable—and meaningful—part of the Gathering!
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Junior Ranger Program
The NPS Lewis and Clark Trail Junior Ranger program is designed for kids and
their families, but people of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate.
The program is available at more than 30 locations along the 4,900-mile Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
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To earn the badge, a person must complete an activity book that serves as a guide for exploring a Lewis and Clark site and learning about the significance of the location to the Lewis and Clark Expedition story. In-person visitation is preferred; however, the program can also be completed online.
The program has fun twists. One of the guide’s sections, for example, requires a person to decode the names of expedition members. The guide also takes a person through a maze that requires decisions to be made, just as the Lewis and Clark explorers had to make.
Discover more about the Junior Ranger Program.
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Play Lewis & Clark Trivia
24 February, 1806, Meriwether Lewis depicted a fish in his journal entry and asserted modestly, “as perfect as I can make it with my pen, and will serve to give a general idea of the fish.”
What is the name of this fish?
Submit the correct answer and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win the book, The Life and Times of Nathaniel Hale Pryor: Explorer, Soldier, Frontiersman and Spokesman for the Osage.
The book by the late Lawrence R. Reno gives an easy-to-read, in-depth look at Pryor’s important roles in the expedition and the settling of the West.
Submit your answer
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Bill Abbott was the winner of the trivia contest in our last newsletter. Bill correctly answered the question of which state the expedition spent the most nights in within its present-day borders. The answer: North Dakota. The explorers spent a total of 214 days in North Dakota. This included a winter encampment of 146 days in 1804-05 at Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn. They also passed through the state again during their return trip in August 1806.
Bill won the Adventures Across America: On and Off the Trail of Lewis and Clark, an
intriguing look by Jennifer White Fischer at today’s Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
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Tales of the past surround you on every side as you drive the Sacajawea Historic Byway. Parallel to the Continental Divide, this byway makes its way through the Lemhi River Valley, summits the Lemhi Pass and then drops onto the Snake River Plain.
Discover rich Native American history and learn more about Sacajawea’s story and her impact on the Corps of Discovery and Idaho.
Sacajawea Center
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The byway begins at the intersection of Interstate 15 and Idaho 33 at exit 143. Follow Idaho 33 for about 12 miles west to its junction with Idaho 28. Finally, take Idaho 28 northwest for 120 miles to Salmon.
Visit Idaho
| | | Explore, Learn, and Earn a Patch! | |
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The LCTA Patch Program is part of our Youth Activity Project, serving individuals aged 10 to 17 who participate in scouting, Boys and Girls Clubs, homeschooling, or other youth organizations and programs. The program is an inspiring way to get youngsters to engage with history and explore the outdoors.
To earn the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Patch, an individual needs to complete five activities. None are tough, but they do require learning, planning, note-taking, reading, observing nature, sharing information, and online exploration of Discover Lewis & Clark, LCTA's popular educational website.
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Watch
Medicines of the Expedition
Watch a fascinating demonstration by John Fisher as he showcases one of his hand-crafted replicas of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s medicine chest, you'll get a rare look at the medicines, instruments, and frontier-era treatments that accompanied America’s greatest explorers. Video Courtesy of Scott Putnam, Bluz River Productions LLC
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Watch
Searching for the Shoshone
Episode 9 of the Shenandoah University film series. The Expedition journey continues facing the challenges of portaging around the Great Falls of the Missouri, arriving at the Headwaters, and Sacagawea contributes greatly in establishing a critical connection with the Shosone as the Expedition leaves the water route and ventures overland.
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Help us expand the community by sharing the newsletter with your network. Simply provide this sign-up link to friends, family, and fellow Trail enthusiasts. | | | |
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Download the APP
Traveling the Trail
this summer?
Take the Lewis and Clark Trail Experience with you by downloading our mobile APP. Scan the QR code with your mobile device.
| | | | Craig, Montana, Celebrates Lewis & Clark on July 18 | | |
Residents of Craig, Montana, brought history to life on July 18, marking the date the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through their town in 1805. Locals turned out in force—many wearing custom shirts depicting the historic day—to welcome the Portage Route Chapter Lewis & Clark Honor Guard and their display of expedition gear.
Captain Lewis (Norman Anderson), Sgt. Patrick Gass (Walt Walker), and Pvt. Silas Goodrich (Lee Ebeling) shared insights on 1800s navigation, firearms, and the Corps’ reliance on fish in their diet. Fittingly, hundreds of boats dotted the Missouri River in this fly-fishing capital.
The evening concluded with a feast of brisket, corn on the cob, fresh bread, baked beans, homemade ice cream, and more—with cold beer flowing freely. The event not only celebrated the past but offered a model for other Trail towns. Organizers plan to do it again next year, and the Honor Guard will be back!
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Museum of the Mountain Man
The Museum of the Mountain Man, located in Pinedale, Wyoming, in partnership with art collector Tim Peterson, is pleased to present one of the largest collections of original contemporary art of the mountain men.
The exhibit will be on display for the 2025 season, May through October. It is titled “One With the Land: The Mountain Man’s Journey Into the Unknown” and includes 72 pieces of artwork from 38 artists.
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