Sometime back in April, when the Lewis and Clark Expedition left North Dakota and headed west into Montana, it also disappeared from the second page of The Forum. That was a favorite glimpse of the past for me. It is sad. The Forum replaced the most exciting expedition in the history of the United States with a frivolous account of photo play.
Here's what readers have missed since Lewis and Clark left North Dakota. The expedition ran across tens of thousands of buffalo, had a narrow encounter with a grizzly bear, named countless landmarks and rivers, survived a near canoe disaster, portaged the Cascades at Great Falls, tried in vain to put together an iron-framed boat they dragged all the way from St. Louis, located the headwaters of the Missouri, discovered Sacagawea's Shoshone village, purchased horses, headed for the Bitterroots and nearly starved along the way, and met the Nez Perce Indians, who helped members of the expedition build canoes for their final trip down the Columbia. That's about where they are now - 200 years ago, that is.
Every day was an exciting adventure for the men of the expedition, and it could be equally so for the reader. The Forum has let a valuable educational tool slip through its fingers. Do us all a favor and dump your photo shots. Put Lewis and Clark back into the paper and let your readers share the daily excitement these men experienced.
Del Dvoracek
Fargo
