Lewis & Clark for the 21st Century

Lewis' Air Rifle

Imagine being a collector of historical artifacts. Imagine having in your possession, possibly the only one of its kind existing in the United States 200 years ago.

This is the experience of Dr. Robert Beeman.

Dr. Beeman is an authority on airguns.  Not the Daisy air rifles of our youth - "You'll shoot your eye out!" - but a very sophisticated, powerful, innovative and impressive piece of firepower.

Dr. Beeman is an authority on a particular type of Austrian air rifle - the Girandoni.  He has owned one for 30 years.  That rifle, as it turns out, is not just any old Austrian air rifle, but the air rifle that traveled across country with none other than Meriwether Lewis.

Imagine having a love of the physical culture of history, and finding that for 30 years, in your possession has been Lewis' air rifle.  Stunning...absolutely stunning.  It makes my knees weak to think of this.

To get the whole story you have to go to Dr. Beeman's website and then find his work on Lewis' airgun.

I asked Dr. Beeman a few questions that I'm glad to share here.

1. Dr. Beeman, how did you first come to have an interest in historic airguns?  Is this a passion from childhood?

This is best answered in the Biography section of our website

2. As you have researched Lewis’ airgun, what have you learned about the expedition that has surprised you?

The most surprising, by far, was the realization, voiced near the end of my Lewis airgun section about the probable huge significance of the airgun in American history.  Historians keep telling me that this may well be the most important gun, of any kind, in the history and development of the United States. If it had not been for Lewis’s “Firepower Diplomacy” shows with this gun, we Westerners might be flying the Union Jack or Spanish flag and talking differently – think how that would have changed world history!

3. For readers who may not have an appreciation of history weaponry, can you say what you believe the last legacy of Lewis’ airgun is for understanding and appreciating the significance of Expedition?

Again, this question is best answered near the end of my Lewis Airgun treatise – under the heading of The First Gun That Won the West and in the introduction to the treatise, at the very beginning.

4. Where can people see your gun?

Sorry to keep referring you to our website, but this is well answered in the Post-Scripts to the Lewis Airgun treatise.  The best chance to see it, for a long time, will be at the Kansas City NRA show, the Antique Gun Collectors section, from July 28-31, 2005. Then at the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA.  It is under 24/7 guard by Special Forces security experts – definitely not a group to fool with – and special security travel, storage, and display arrangements – some details are not public.

This is an important find for followers of the Expedition.  While there are a few places along the trail that are as they were 200 years ago, there are precious few artifacts that are definitely from the Expedition.  I'm sure over time, that other artifacts will be discovered.  Here though is the airgun that served as such an attraction and impressive deterent.

Some of the material you'll find at Dr. Beeman's site will be published next year in WPO.  Go get a preview and marvel at it all.

Beyond Lewis & Clark

One of the reasons the Corps of Discovery was a success is due to their excellence as a military organization. Their expedition began a succession of military expeditions that provided new and important information on the American West.

There is an excellent exhibition showing now through the end of October at the Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma. The exhibition, Beyond Lewis & Clark: The Army Explores the West, llooks at "an eight-decade story of army exploration west of the Mississippi." James Ronda has written an excellent book to accompany the exhibition.

If you are close enough to make a trip to Tacoma, do so. Not only will you find an important exploration of the aftermath of the Corps of Discovery's expedition, you'll also see a magnificent museum dedicated to the history of the state of Washington.

Upcoming Lewis & Clark exhibitions at the museum are:
Discovering the Rivers of Lewis & Clark. November 26, 2004 through January 17, 2005.
An exhibition describing the rivers on which Lewis nd Clark passed, with contemporary policy questions and narratives from those living along the rivers. Organized by American Rivers.

The Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. April 15, 2005 through June 12, 2005.
The exhibit places Lewis & Clark in relation to the Age of Discovery, the Enlightenment's concern with discerning and imposing order in the universe, and Thomas Jefferson's enthusiasm for maps, biological diversity and classification, and ethnographic study of the American Indians. Organized by Lewis and Clark College.

Tip of the Hat to Sean Sharp who let me know about this fine exhibition, and forced a change in my travel plans to go see it. Well worth it. Thanks.

A Fascinating Discovery at Traveler's Rest

I writing from Missoula, Montana where I've just learned of a fascinating discovery at Traveler's Rest State Park.

Traveler's Rest is the site along Lolo Creek where the Corps of Discovery on their westward trek stopped to rest and recoup for the trip over the Lolo Trail, and on the way home, to prepare to divide the Corps.

The site is right off US 93 and was saved by some local heroes from development. The vast majority of the site has not been developed or farmed in the past 200 years. Their initial research shows that the camp is set up according to Von Steuben's Blue Book or Manual of Arms. Von Steuben was the standard manual of military organization at that time.

In Von Steuben's manual, there is a chart illustrating how a camp should be setup. So far, they have located the kitchen and the latrine, and they are in precise relationship to one another as Von Steuben recommends.

So, what does this mean?

It means that not only did Lewis & Clark organize their Corps of Discovery as a military unit prior to leaving, but that followed a disciplined approach to ordering their life and work together along the trail. I've thought for some time that the military aspect of the story is under-appreciated. With more research done at various sites, I think we will learn even more.

Here's a picture from the site, looking from the kitchen across the campsite.