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On the Trail of Lewis & Clark

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

December 5, 2005
The National Park Service has come up empty in its bid to find the precise site where pioneer explorers Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-06.

After a 50-year-old replica of their crude shelter was destroyed by fire Oct. 3, the park service conducted a three-week excavation of the site, near Astoria, Oregon. No trace of the original Corps of Discovery fort was found.

One of history's mysteries, the Lewis & Clark winter camp - called Fort Clatsop - was long believed to be in the vicinity of Astoria.

Construction of a new log fort started Dec. 10 at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, where the public can see the work in progress. The 400 logs needed for the project, all donated by private firms, will go to a preservative-treatment plant before their assembly in time for a scheduled opening next June. But the new Fort Clatsop may not be any more of a reliable historical landmark than the one that burned.

Uncertainty over the actual site has not dampened the spirits of Lewis & Clark enthusiasts, however. In fact, a tour operator from South Dakota is proceeding with plans for a 16-day tour that will retrace the Corps of Discovery's steps from St. Louis to Astoria.

The trip, scheduled from Aug. 4-19, 2006, is offered by Shebby Lee Tours, a Rapid City company that specializes in historic and cultural heritage tours of the Great American West.

According to owner Shebby Lee, the Lewis & Clark itinerary includes special speakers and events, authentic meals, stops at interpretive centers and historic sites, and boat rides on the Missouri River. The trip will also include encounters with actors portraying the famous explorers and their crew along with an ongoing Lewis & Clark trivia game aboard the motorcoach used for the trip.

For further information, contact Shebby Lee Tours, P.O. Box 1032, Rapid City, SD 57709 (Tel. 800-888-8306, www.shebbyleetours.com).

Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is president of the North American Travel Journalists Association, and a frequent contributor to AAA Traveler and USAirways Magazine.

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