According to Mark Spence we have some misconceptions about Lewis and Clark. “Lewis and Clark are often viewed through present-day experiences. One hundred years ago the expedition was used to explain the virtues of industrial development and overseas expansion. Fifty years ago, Lewis and Clark became clean-cut Cold War warriors in the forest. Today, they are often viewed as culturally sensitive wilderness enthusiasts,” says Spence. “None of these notions have any basis in historical reality but together they sure raise a lot of fun and important questions about the past and the present,” he says. Take a closer look at the Corps of Discovery and the expedition that shaped American identity at presentations at the Redmond and Downtown Bend Libraries as part of the Know Exploring series this November. The presentations are free and open to the public.

Saturday, November 15 • 2:00 p.m.
Redmond Library

Sunday, November 16 • 2:00 p.m.
Downtown Bend Library

Spence’s presentations will examine the Lewis and Clark expedition and the ways it has been remembered and forgotten over two centuries. Beginning with the "purposes of commerce" that motivated Thomas Jefferson to create the Corps of Discovery, and shaped how Lewis and Clark viewed Native peoples and landscapes, the talk will shift to later understandings of the expedition. In the process we will see that our understandings of Lewis and Clark reflect different ideas about nature and nation—and what that can tell us about the present and the past.

Mark Spence is the author of Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks and co-editor of Lewis and Clark: Legacies, Memories, and New Perspectives, and has written several articles on the Lewis and Clark expedition and its commemorations. He left academia in 2004 to return to western Oregon, where he teaches part time and works as a contract historian for the National Park Service.

For more information about this or other library programs, please call 312-1032 or visit www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Liz at 312-1032.