Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, January 14, 2004
KANSAS CITY AND THE KANSAS RIVER
On June 26, 1804 the small flotilla beached their
two pirogues and dropped anchor from the keelboat
just above where the Kansas River intersects the Mis-
souri. Lewis and Clark agreed to remain here for a
few days to check the equipment and repair on of the
pirogues.
The men set about building a small earth and log
fortification for protection. The location was praised
by Clark as an, “open and beautiful plain.”
Food was abundant. According to the sergeants
the bushes were loaded with, “Plums, Raspberries &
vast quantities of wild apples [crab apples],” and the
men enjoyed the change in their diet from the several
pounds of fried meat they consumed every evening.
The expedition’s location was an important one
geographically for the men. At this point the Mis-
souri River turns north and they would not continue
west again until they sailed through Omaha lands.
While setting up camp Clark noted the abundance
of Carolina parakeets with it’s green, gold and orange
plumage. This was the western most sighting of the
dove-like bird that huddled together in flocks of 200-
300 at a time. By the 1830’s the species already was
in decline in the region.
Many of the crew fanned out and hunted while the
French boatman carefully unloaded the vessels. Some
of the trade goods had been damaged by seeping wa-
ter and but the majority of the equipment seemed to
be faring well inside the tightly sewn bags.
The two captains busied themselves with their
scientific instruments and Clark discovered the water
of the Kansas River, “very disagreeably to me.”
Later that evening one of the hunters reported
sighting the first buffalo the Corps off in the distance.
Buffalo were more widely scattered across North
America than we usually think of today.
Reports of the shaggy beasts as far east as Vir-
ginia were common in the early 1700’s. As European
civilization moved east the buffalo’ habitat shrank
similar to other species.
On June 29 the Corps encountered a discipline
problem. Private John Collins, who had been trouble-
some for the leadership since Camp Dubois, was on
guard duty. Apparently he helped himself to extra
ration of liquor and persuaded Private Hugh Hall
drink with him. Sergeant Charles Floyd discovered
the misdeeds and reported them to the captains. The
remainder of the party proved to be quite angry. The
men rationed the precious alcohol so it was last for
much of the voyage. A quick trial found the two
guilty and a sentence of 100 lashes on the bareback
consisted of the punishment. The records indicate at
least 50 stripes were laid on the two soldiers, but if
the remainder of the sentence was carried out is un-
clear.
On June 30, a southwesterly breeze filled the sails
and the Corps of Discovery head back into the river.
In future years the location would become a fur trad-
ing post known as Choteau’s Point. Now the men
scanned the horizon for Indians signs an the mouth of
the Platte River.
Dave Hinze is a professional historian and tour
guide. He leads tours and presents at conferences on
Lewis & Clark, and other topics pertaining to early
American history, for the American History Education
Association. For information about this series or one
of AHEA’s many history tours you can contact Hinze
at 1-800-298-1861 or AHEA2004@yahoo.com
State Farm
offers school
success tips
Parental support is cru-
cial to children’s success at
school, said State Farm
Insurance, which offers
these tips:
*Send children to
school well-rested, fed and
with a positive outlook.
*Ask your children
about their classes, and
show genuine interest.
*Be supportive of chil-
dren in school, regardless
of bad experiences you
might have had.
*Set specific blocks of
time for doing homework.
*Put deadlines for
children’s projects on your
calendar.
*Display grades and
children’s projects in your
home.
It’s important for chil-
dren to know that parents
care about their school-
work and are involved in
their education, said State
Farm. It added, “Invest in
your children’s future:
Spend time with them
now.”
Please don’t litter!
If buttered toast
always lands buttered
side down and a cat
always lands on its feet,
what would happen
if you tied a piece of
buttered toast on the back
of a cat and dropped it?
Page 13
Trivia Time
By WALTER BRANCH
JoCo rural commission seeks volunteer
1. For what Raymond
Burr series did Quincy
Jones compose the
theme music?
2. What 1956 Ian Flem-
ing novel had James
Bond sent to break a
diamond-smuggling
pipeline from Sierra
Leone to New York?
3. What did Julie An-
drews hold in her left
hand in posters for "The
Sound of Music"?
4. What profession did
Brenda Starr take up?
5. Who occupied the
No. 1 spot on the charts
for 25 of 1956's 52
weeks?
6. Which Beatle dyed
his hair jet-black to play
a Mexican gardener
named Emanuel in a
1968 movie?
7. What member of TV's
"Laverne and Shirley"
had a bit part in the film
classic "The Blob"?
8. Whom did Jimmy
Hoffa describe as "a
young dim-witted, curly-
headed smart aleck ... a
ruthless little monster"?
9. What were the given
names of the three sis-
ters on "Petticoat Junc-
tion"?
10. What song provided
the background to
Simon and Garfunkel's
"The 7 O'Clock News"?
Trivia Time Answers
1.
"I ro n s i d e " ;
2.
"Diamonds Are For-
ever"; 3. A guitar; 4.
Journalism; 5. Elvis
Presley; 6. Ringo Starr;
7. Cindy Williams; 8.
Bobby Kennedy; 9. Bil-
lie Jo, Bobbie Jo and
Betty Jo; 10. "Silent
Night"
(c) 2004 DBR Media,
Inc.
The Josephine County
Board of Commissioners is
accepting applications
from volunteers to fill a
vacancy on the Josephine
County Rural Planning
Commission.
The deadline for appli-
cations is Jan. 30.
Applications are avail-
able in the Board of Com-
missioners Office, Room
154, Josephine County
Courthouse, Grants Pass.
Contact Dawn Pike (541)
474-5221 for further infor-
mation.
The planning commis-
sion is made up of nine
residents from various geo-
graphic areas of Josephine
County appointed by
county commissioners to
serve four-year terms. It is
the job of the planning
commission to review and
decide significant land de-
velopment requests, such
as subdivisions, commer-
cial, industrial and re-
source uses, and various
conditional uses.
The commission may
also hold public workshops
and hearings to study spe-
cific development issues
and work with planning
staff, community organiza-
tions and other interested
individuals to develop or
revise land use regulations
to address problems.
Two examples of this
kind of duty are the com-
mission’s work in revising
the county’s land use pro-
gram for citizen involve-
ment and safety citing
standards for new dwell-
ings in wildfire risk areas.
CONE TEN POTTERY
Studio & Gallery, 360 Caves Hwy.
RAKU WORKSHOP
Saturday, Feb. 7, 1 - 4 p.m.
Create & glaze a clay cup, rattle or small box
and participate in a raku firing.
Beginners welcome
592-4646