6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018 editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher Founded in 1873 JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager DEBRA BLOOM Business Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager WRITER’S NOTEBOOK Walking in the path of glory and ruination Lewis and Clark national park is a great historical stage W e who reside at the mouth of the Columbia River live in the midst of one of America’s great adventure stories. Between November and March of each year, we may relive the arrival, daring deeds and departure of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Friday, March 23, was the day the expedi- tion put their canoes into the water of what the Chinooks called Netul (our Lewis and Clark River) and headed back upriver. In the midst of William Clark’s journal entry for that day, these words leap out. “We… left Fort STEVE Clatsop on our homeward FORRESTER bound journey.” After nearly five months at the western edge of the continent, the Lewis and Clark Expedition set off back to the United States — its western frontier then defined by Missouri, and St. Louis in particular. MATT Six of us commemo- WINTERS rated this consequential day in our regional history by reading from the journals written by Clark, Capt. Meriwether Lewis, Sgt. John Ordway, Sgt. Patrick Gass and Private Joseph Whitehouse. We also reflected on the differ- ences between our pampered lives and those of the rough and ready explorers. Our group was led by Jon Burpee, super- intendent of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. Joining in reading from the journals were Matt Winters of the Chinook Observer; his cousin and fellow Western history enthusiast Bob Bell; Darrell and Merideth Brann of Enterprise; and Steve Forrester, retired publisher of The Daily Astorian. Of all the Fort Clatsop superinten- dents of the past three decades, Burpee is one of the most enthusiastic interpreters of this history. After lunch in the picnic area near the Fort Clatsop Visitors Center, we walked down the hill to Netul Landing, from which the canoes departed on that day 212 years ago. By the time we reached Netul Landing, the expedition had been waterborne for 10 minutes. Clark had sent elk hunters ahead to Point William, known to us as Tongue Point. (By the date this is in print, the expedition was in the vicinity of modern-day Troutdale east of Portland, stocking up on wild game meat, including an unlucky family of bears.) In our layers of contemporary outerwear but still feeling the chill of rain and snow, we reflected on how hardy the explorers were — clothed in one layer of buckskins and wearing moccasins of elk hide. Burpee commented that making many dozens of these moccasins for the return journey was one of that winter’s prime activities. Time travel made easy At its best, Lewis and Clark national park presents many such opportunities for a kind of personalized time travel. Aside from our small party, we encountered no one else at Netul. The National Park Service hasn’t erased all evidence of civilization from Fort Clatsop’s viewshed. But as nesting ducks puttered around the quiet wetlands, the rustic setting made it easy to imagine the bustle that would have accompanied departure — men lugging heavy loads through the forest from the little nearby fort and securing supplies in their canoes for the arduous journey home. There was no napping in the backseat for anyone on the homeward leg of that seminal American “road trip.” Infamously, one of the canoes they departed in was stolen from the Clatsop Indians, after one of the expedition’s own clunkier watercraft drifted away on the tide. By the time the expedition arrived at the mouth of the Columbia, they were running low on barter items. Burpee spoke of how the Chinook/Clatsop people were sophisticated traders and consumers, having run one of the Northwest’s mightiest mercantile empires for centuries. They began trading with European ship crews starting in 1792. By 1805-06, it’s possible to imagine them exclaiming, “We don’t need no stinkin’ blue beads” or more eloquent words to that effect. So unable to buy a canoe, the explorers merely swiped one. Like the vast majority of the physical culture of Columbia estuary tribes, that richly symbolic canoe wasn’t cherished by its new owners and faded away into anon- ymous oblivion. You will scour the world’s great museum collections in vain for much tangible evidence of the Chinooks. There is a marvelously carved house post that some passerby found in a tangle of river driftwood in the 19th century. There are a few elegant leaf-shaped Chinook cups and ladles in the collections of the Smithsonian and other major institutions. These probably only sur- vive because some trader plucked them out of context and tucked them away out of reach of the disaster soon to envelop the Chinook. All Matt Winters/For The Daily Astorian Stephen Forrester, right, reads from Lewis and Clark Expedition journals on March 23, the anniversary of the explorers’ departure from Fort Clatsop on their return journey to the United States as it was constituted in 1806. Jon Burpee, left, superintendent of Lew- is and Clark National Historical Park, participated in the journal readings. who see them wish we could step back 200 years and barter for one of our own, perhaps for a big box of deluxe abalone buttons. Burpee reflected on surviving accounts of the comforts and supreme stylishness of Chinookan plank houses, which were described as cozy works of art. How odd it must have been for local native residents in that long-ago winter to have a strange encampment of hairy, smelly, hungry white transients show up in their neighborhood — carrying big firearms! This considered, the estuary’s original residents responded with remarkable tolerance. Light and dark When visiting Fort Clatsop, Dismal Nitch, Station Camp, Cape Disappointment and our area’s several other premier Lewis and Clark sites, our first thoughts may be of the explorers and how they set the stage for U.S. westward expansion. They are unsur- passed in terms of individual tenacity and exciting encounters with the West’s unsullied wonders. But our most lingering and troubling thoughts are of the horrific losses suffered by the First Peoples of the Columbia estuary. Within 25 years of the expedition’s visit, plagues on the scale of a Stephen King nightmare had turned the lively villages here into fallen ghost towns. By the time Sgt. Gass died in 1870, many civilizations contacted by Lewis and Clark were barely clinging to a kind of hungry, twilight existence. Descendants of the magnificent Chinook and Clatsop were left to scour the mudflats beneath white men’s canneries in search of castoff salmon heads. Learning of the light and dark sides of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the good people they once met here, is one of greatest privileges of living on this glorious coast. We absolutely should celebrate the past in evocative places like Netul Landing. And we absolutely should support, learn and perfect what we can of the nearly lost art of living as the Chinook and Clatsop did. People with eloquent hands should still produce profoundly simple cedar cups here on the Lower Columbia, and we all can use them, rubbing them smooth with our fingers and lips, imparting to them the rich character that will someday make them truly beautiful. We must never overlook the plain fact that some of the families who hosted Lewis and Clark live on. More than dead explorers, it is they who deserve our most rapt attention. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Youth are the leaders of tomorrow T hank God for our children. Though I have none, I have been fortunate to work with many, and watch my nieces and nephews grow up. Kids are amazing. Some follow a straight path, and seldom veer off the course laid out for them, and others take the road that leads to wonder, excitement and life’s adventures. I am pleased to watch and listen to the cur- rent youth force, March For Our Lives, the #NeverAgainMovement promoting respon- sible gun ownership. To read and hear adults utter statements saying the students are being fed into it by teachers or adults so underesti- mates the true value and intellect of our chil- dren, the leaders of tomorrow. I am impressed and motivated, as I have almost but given up on the adult child who is currently leading this nation. Just a simple look back at history proves that students are the ones who have led monumental change in this country and our world. To name a few, the U.S. civil rights move- ment with student lunch counter sit-ins; the Arab Spring, students rise up in Cairo’s Tahrir Square; the turnaround of the Vietnam War brought upon by student protests; the 1969 Stonewall riots for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights; and many more. I applaud these courageous young peo- ple for their focus and enthusiasm who are mobilizing a divided nation, and unintention- ally showing how weak our leaders are. “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and pro- tection.” — Psalms 25:21 Be the change. PAUL FLUES II Astoria Vote Wev for county commissioner I f I lived in District 3, I’d be voting for Pam Wev for Clatsop County commissioner. As I don’t, let me urge those who do to grab that ballot and do so, when you it hits your mailbox. Pam is thoughtful, articulate, well-orga- nized, and puts her concern for others first. She has owned a small business, worked as a city planner, and raised her children as a sin- gle mom. Since arriving in our county, she has become actively involved in our community. Pam’s values are organized around collab- oration, connectedness and civility. If you pay attention to county happenings, all seem to be sorely needed. She is a woman who jumps in to help, and bring solutions that work. For more details, go to her website: wevforcounty- commissioner.com We’ve now lived here for nearly 24 years, and as a former public employee and always news junkie, I’ve paid attention to how things are done at cities and at the county. I’ve observed those running against Pam Wev, and have no faith that they would be as effective, or have the strength and energy she brings to this new role. So, I encourage you to sup- port and vote for this remarkable woman, Pam Wev, for county commissioner. JAN MITCHELL Astoria Pick up your beach litter I t all starts with parents, who should teach their children about picking up after them- selves. We spend a lot of time on Sunset Beach. Each time, within 50 feet of our vehi- cle, I can pick up two grocery bags of water bottles, bottle caps, beer cans and bottles, plas- tic from cheese, toys, cigarette butts, and plas- tic of all kinds. What is particularly bad is people burn- ing fence boards and pallets with nails and long screws, left behind in the sand for peo- ple to drive on them. Broken glass bottles from wine and/or beer and cans are left in fire pits. We all love seafood. What do you think they are ingesting? It is some of the trash left on the beaches. In the national news is a huge article on the plastic the size of Texas left floating in the Pacific Ocean. Where does it come from? Those people who don’t care about what they leave on our beautiful beaches. It is everyone’s responsibility to, instead of jogging or driving by when they see this, to pick it up. Take a bag, always, and if you see it and don’t pick it up, you are part of the problem. For those of you who bring plastic, glass, cans, wood pallets, fence boards with nails and screws, throw cigarette butts on the ground and leave them behind: Shame on you. Pick it up! JANE MASON Beaverton Post at school brings back memories I n response to the article “Longtime Knappa residents recall origins of mysterious base- ball field post” (The Daily Astorian, March 29): I well remember the day we, at Knappa Elementary School, set out stones in the wet cement at the base of the Commemorative Oregon Trail Post. My friend and I put our rocks side by side. Several years ago, I drove by with one of my grown kids to show them the post, and try to find “my rock,” which was shaped like a molar. After clearing away the mat of grass and dirt, voila. There it was, and Gladys’ too. At the time, we were studying from a lit- tle social science book, “Stories of Oregon,” that had many short wonderful tales of early Oregon events in history. Our early grade school teachers — first and second and third and fourth grades — were two great teachers, Mrs. Vlastelicia and Mrs. Solvin, who gave us such a good beginning. They were marvelous teachers. The “boys” in the photos were all about three years younger than I was, as I was about 10, and in the third or fourth grade. I’m sure there are many others from the time we put our stones in the cement who remember it as well as I do. I think the post should be kept and restored. I’m willing to help. It’s a very pleas- ant memory. ALICE OJA NIELSEN Brownsmead Vote Orr for state representative J ohn Orr is running for District 32 state rep- resentative, and I want to tell you why I am voting for him. I have known John for almost 20 years. During that time I have found him to be honest, compassionate, brilliant and hardworking. He tackles problems with the same integrity and research that he used back when he was a lawyer. When he had his law practice, his nick- name among his fellow lawyers was “won- der boy,” because of the his dedication in get- ting positive results. He will be fighting for a healthy Pacific Northwest. I am excited that John Orr is running for office at this critical time in history, and will be voting for John, for our future and our chil- dren’s future. Join me. If you want to know about John’s beliefs and passion, go to “John Orr State House” on Facebook. VICKI McAFEE Astoria Affordable housing one of our greatest challenges T hank you to The Daily Astorian for reporting and editorializing on mat- ters of concern to the public. Your attention helps involve and educate all of us, and it’s an essential part of our representative democratic process and of a robust community. One of our greatest challenges is the lack of affordable and available housing. I’ve been advocating and working to address housing issues for years as a community activist, as a Clatsop County planning commissioner, and now a county commissioner. Currently, I work with state and local hous- ing agency people. I also sit on the board of the regional Community Action Team, which addresses housing needs and solutions in Clat- sop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties. I also co-chair the Association of Ore- gon Counties’ Housing Subcommittee, which works on defining needs and developing solu- tions for housing shortages all over Oregon. This is a problem all over the state, and we need good teamwork with partners all over the county, the region, and the state to solve it. I’m passionately devoted to the well-being of people here, beginning with housing needs. As a community, we can and must work together and use the best in all of us to cre- ate conditions that result in meeting our hous- ing needs. LIANNE THOMPSON Commissioner, Clatsop County, District 5 Orr is great choice for state representative I proudly endorse John Orr as a responsi- ble, considerate, and compassionate deci- sion maker for a state representative. Mr. Orr has certainly been a very down to earth person, with our better interests in mind, for a great choice. JOHN HREHA Astoria