Journal 2006 07 31
Covering and Shelter
Lewis spent last night in the open in the rain and found himself lying in water trying to sleep. He was determined to collect enough elk hides to make a covering for tonight.
Sgt. Gass, “We set out early, though it continued at intervals to rain hard. About 10 o'clock we saw a great gang of elk on a small island, where we halted and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted, and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted to dine, and had then a very heavy shower of rain. We also killed another of the large horned animals or mountain sheep.— We remained here about an hour, then proceeded on, and will soon be clear of this range of high rough country. In our way this afternoon, we killed two mule and twelve other deer, and two beaver. Though the afternoon was wet and disagreeable, we came 70 miles to day.”
Many of the men found their clothing needed to be replaced also. They needed hides to clothe themselves. Several days ago Clark recorded that the buckskins of many of the men were rotting off their bodies. “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin, but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29 MKJV) The great harvest of yesterday and today followed.
Captain Clark “I was much disturbed last night by the noise of the buffalow which were about me. one gang Swam the river near our Camp which alarmed me a little for fear of their Crossing our Canoes and Splitting them to pieces. Set out as usial about Sun rise passed a rapid which I call wolf rapid from the Circumstance of one of those animals being at the rapid.” “…as I was about landing this evening Saw a white bear and the largest I ever Saw eating a dead buffalow on a Sand bar. we fired two Shot into him, we Swam to the main Shore and walked down the bank. I landed and fired 2 more Shot into this tremendious animal without killing him. night comeing on we Could not pursue him he bled profusely. Showers all this day.”
It takes blood to get an animal skin. It took a lot of blood to get enough skins to cover the men. And the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 GNB) Blood was shed in the Garden of Eden to cover the man and woman. Scripture tells us that the life is in the blood and that without blood there is no redemption for sin. The Corps of Discovery was after clothing and covering. So are we. Let Him provide both as He sees fit. Understand that in Jesus, the Messiah, it was the blood of the Lamb of God that covered our nakedness and sin. And like Isaiah recorded, “It is He who sits on the circle of the earth,… who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;”(Isaiah 40:22 MKJV)
Let’s put on the clothing He has provided and find cover under the curtain of Heaven.
Proceed on.
Inspiration for today from America's Greatest Expedition, the Corps of Discovery!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Nothing Extraordinary Happened Today
Journal 2006 07 30
Nothing Extraordinary Happened Today
Lewis continues downriver for the second day on the Missouri River with sixteen members of the Corps of Discovery. Clark continues down the Yellowstone River encountering the first real rapids he has seen in the last six hundred ninety four miles.
The “the rain continued with but little intermission all day; the air is cold and extreemly disagreeable,” records Lewis. While both he and Clark note the water is difficult to drink because of the all the mud in it. For the better part of a year they have been drinking clear mountain stream water. The sludge of these rivers as they cloud up must have been a forgotten memory until they took a drink.
Yesterday Lewis makes almost a footnote regarding the marvelous cliffs he described so vividly last year. “…we passed that very interesting part of the Missouri where the natural walls appear, particularly discribed in my outward bound journey.” New is exciting, familiar is interesting and common is boring. What is it about human nature that takes the spectacular and makes it dull when the spectacular becomes common? I know I sure fall prey to that seduction.
The last few days with Clark’s party continues the fulfillment of Adam’s role in the Garden of Eden naming many of the places they pass on their way down the Yellowstone. My favorite is Bear Island because of the bears seen standing in the middle of it. One of the Sergeant’s comments and describes the attack pattern of the wolves against their larger prey having observed them enough times to discern the strategy.
Both parties enjoy the abundance of game. Buffalo once again dominate the prairie and huge “gangues” of elk dominate the river valleys. Both parties are able to take antelope and are pleased to have more than enough specimens to take home.
High adventure on the way west. Pleasant work on the way home.
Like me, can you let the spectacular become common if you lose perspective of your calling? Ever wonder why a new employee is excited to do the job you’ve become tired of? Perspective. I’m also inclined to believe that as we conquer and acquire we are built to start fresh from the ground gained in those victories and acquisitions. If you find yourself dulled to your daily routine or bored by your work, look to the One who formed you in the womb and ask Him to reset your course and vision that you might see your work through His vision and not ours. I’m calling out for the very same freshness.
“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God--you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration--what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts--how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! (Psalms 139:13-17 MSG)
Proceed on.
Nothing Extraordinary Happened Today
Lewis continues downriver for the second day on the Missouri River with sixteen members of the Corps of Discovery. Clark continues down the Yellowstone River encountering the first real rapids he has seen in the last six hundred ninety four miles.
The “the rain continued with but little intermission all day; the air is cold and extreemly disagreeable,” records Lewis. While both he and Clark note the water is difficult to drink because of the all the mud in it. For the better part of a year they have been drinking clear mountain stream water. The sludge of these rivers as they cloud up must have been a forgotten memory until they took a drink.
Yesterday Lewis makes almost a footnote regarding the marvelous cliffs he described so vividly last year. “…we passed that very interesting part of the Missouri where the natural walls appear, particularly discribed in my outward bound journey.” New is exciting, familiar is interesting and common is boring. What is it about human nature that takes the spectacular and makes it dull when the spectacular becomes common? I know I sure fall prey to that seduction.
The last few days with Clark’s party continues the fulfillment of Adam’s role in the Garden of Eden naming many of the places they pass on their way down the Yellowstone. My favorite is Bear Island because of the bears seen standing in the middle of it. One of the Sergeant’s comments and describes the attack pattern of the wolves against their larger prey having observed them enough times to discern the strategy.
Both parties enjoy the abundance of game. Buffalo once again dominate the prairie and huge “gangues” of elk dominate the river valleys. Both parties are able to take antelope and are pleased to have more than enough specimens to take home.
High adventure on the way west. Pleasant work on the way home.
Like me, can you let the spectacular become common if you lose perspective of your calling? Ever wonder why a new employee is excited to do the job you’ve become tired of? Perspective. I’m also inclined to believe that as we conquer and acquire we are built to start fresh from the ground gained in those victories and acquisitions. If you find yourself dulled to your daily routine or bored by your work, look to the One who formed you in the womb and ask Him to reset your course and vision that you might see your work through His vision and not ours. I’m calling out for the very same freshness.
“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God--you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration--what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts--how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! (Psalms 139:13-17 MSG)
Proceed on.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Exertions at this Moment
Journal 2006 07 28
Exertions at this Moment
I could write a chapter, maybe even a book about today’s events. Could say the same about the previous days. Forrest Tucker, best known to many of us as an oddball Sgt. on the sixties TV comedy “F Troop” played a marine in a John Wayne movie, “The Sands of Iwo Jima”. A scene in the movie will stick in my mind forever. Tucker is in a foxhole with two of his buddies as they realize they are running low on ammunition. Tucker volunteers to go back to the beach to get more. He gets the ammo and turns to head back to the foxhole and his buddies when he is offered a cup of coffee. Who wouldn’t take it? I know I would have. After relishing the hot “Joe” Tucker hustles back to the foxhole to find his two friends dead with their M1 rifles out of ammunition. Puts a new meaning into the word duty doesn’t it? Meriwether Lewis, the Fields brothers and George Drouillard awake this morning after their hundred mile ride with a similar choice. Do they head south and east as fast as they can or do they make a more dangerous yet honorable beeline for the agreed upon rendezvous point just below the Great Falls?
Captain Lewis doesn’t hesitate. “The morning proved fair, I slept sound but fortunately awoke as day appeared, I awaked the men and directed the horses to be saddled, I was so soar from my ride yesterday that I could scarcely stand, and the men complained of being in a similar situation however I encourged them by telling them that our own lives as well as those of our friends and fellow travellers depended on our exertions at this moment; they were allert soon…” Duty. Lewis understood that the Blackfeet were highly likely to mount a war party and come after them. He did not want his fine men under the command of Sergeant’s Gass and Ordway surprised by a hostile war party.
There was only one decision for Captain Lewis. “I told them that we owed much to the safety of our friends and that we must wrisk our lives on this occasion, that I should proceed immediately to the point and if the party had not arrived that I would raft the missouri a small distance above, hide our baggage and march on foot up the river through the timber untill I met the canoes or joined them at the falls; I now told them that it was my determination that if we were attacked in the plains on our way to the point that the bridles of the horses should be tied together and we would stand and defend them, or sell our lives as dear as we could.” Lewis determined that he and his men would “sell our lives as dear as we could” to protect the men on the river. Do we understand what “selling their lives” meant? It was a statement of their resolve to fight to the death and extract a great price from any who would attempt to overtake and subdue them. What would we be willing to sell our lives for and how great a price would we attempt to extract for it?
“…we had proceeded about 12 miles on an East course when we found ourselves near the missouri; we heared a report which we took to be that of a gun but were not certain;…” Their “fellow travellers” or a war party in pursuit? How would they know? These Blackfeet had primitive muskets. “…still continuing down the N. E. bank of the missouri about 8 miles further, … we heared the report of several rifles very distinctly on the river to our right, we quickly repared to this joyfull sound and on arriving at the bank of the river had the unspeakable satisfaction to see our canoes coming down…”
Wow! How lucky, how fortunate how Divinely blessed could Meriwether Lewis be? Traveling over one hundred miles in an outright run from danger only to arrive at the river to the sound of, first, his men hunting, and, second, his men sending out a rousing welcome from there rifles as they spotted Lewis and his party on the bluff above the river! Amazing! The men quickly move their gear to the canoes, free their horses and set off down the river where they stop at their first cache and retrieve their goods. Adding to their good fortune and incredible luck they find Sgt. Gass and Pvt. Willard arriving with the last of the horses and gear from the portage around the Great Falls at 1:00pm. They were not expected yet. Lewis thought they would have to send some men after them.
“…having now nothing to detain us …we now reimbarked on board the white peroge and five small canoes and decended the river about 15 ms. and encamped on the S. W. side near a few cottonwood trees,…” Having left post haste the combined river party left behind the two deer, six antelope and seven buffalo the two Sgt.’s had killed that morning. So after a “strict guard” was set up at this camp Collins set out to hunt, killed a buffalo and the tired men ate and rested in relative safety. A thunderstorm and rain further concealed them from any pursuers.
Duty. All the men answered the call. Had Ordway and Gass’ party at the portage not persevered through rain and mud they would have been a day or two behind. But they didn’t rest. They did their duty.
Duty. Had Lewis and his men not put the welfare of their comrades above their own safety they would never have found the good fortune of meeting up with their men at the river basically ready to roll. Lewis had no other thought than to care for his men fulfilling his duty in his leadership.
“I encourged them by telling them that our own lives as well as those of our friends and fellow travellers depended on our exertions at this moment; they were allert soon…” Anybodies lives depend on our actions at this moment? I hope we are living on the edge of danger to the point where our actions are that important. Can we see through our spiritual eyes that this is always true?
Our history is filled with those who fulfilled their duty and in so doing met destiny by faith and are counted as great. Hebrews chapter eleven is called the Biblical Hall of Faith because it remembers those who set their destiny fulfilling their duty by faith in the promises of God. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go. I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10-11 MKJV) Fulfill your duty in faith that God holds your times and seasons in His hands for His purposes in greatness. In so doing you bring life to these words today, “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Our Duty. Get the ammo and get back to the foxhole.
Proceed on.
Exertions at this Moment
I could write a chapter, maybe even a book about today’s events. Could say the same about the previous days. Forrest Tucker, best known to many of us as an oddball Sgt. on the sixties TV comedy “F Troop” played a marine in a John Wayne movie, “The Sands of Iwo Jima”. A scene in the movie will stick in my mind forever. Tucker is in a foxhole with two of his buddies as they realize they are running low on ammunition. Tucker volunteers to go back to the beach to get more. He gets the ammo and turns to head back to the foxhole and his buddies when he is offered a cup of coffee. Who wouldn’t take it? I know I would have. After relishing the hot “Joe” Tucker hustles back to the foxhole to find his two friends dead with their M1 rifles out of ammunition. Puts a new meaning into the word duty doesn’t it? Meriwether Lewis, the Fields brothers and George Drouillard awake this morning after their hundred mile ride with a similar choice. Do they head south and east as fast as they can or do they make a more dangerous yet honorable beeline for the agreed upon rendezvous point just below the Great Falls?
Captain Lewis doesn’t hesitate. “The morning proved fair, I slept sound but fortunately awoke as day appeared, I awaked the men and directed the horses to be saddled, I was so soar from my ride yesterday that I could scarcely stand, and the men complained of being in a similar situation however I encourged them by telling them that our own lives as well as those of our friends and fellow travellers depended on our exertions at this moment; they were allert soon…” Duty. Lewis understood that the Blackfeet were highly likely to mount a war party and come after them. He did not want his fine men under the command of Sergeant’s Gass and Ordway surprised by a hostile war party.
There was only one decision for Captain Lewis. “I told them that we owed much to the safety of our friends and that we must wrisk our lives on this occasion, that I should proceed immediately to the point and if the party had not arrived that I would raft the missouri a small distance above, hide our baggage and march on foot up the river through the timber untill I met the canoes or joined them at the falls; I now told them that it was my determination that if we were attacked in the plains on our way to the point that the bridles of the horses should be tied together and we would stand and defend them, or sell our lives as dear as we could.” Lewis determined that he and his men would “sell our lives as dear as we could” to protect the men on the river. Do we understand what “selling their lives” meant? It was a statement of their resolve to fight to the death and extract a great price from any who would attempt to overtake and subdue them. What would we be willing to sell our lives for and how great a price would we attempt to extract for it?
“…we had proceeded about 12 miles on an East course when we found ourselves near the missouri; we heared a report which we took to be that of a gun but were not certain;…” Their “fellow travellers” or a war party in pursuit? How would they know? These Blackfeet had primitive muskets. “…still continuing down the N. E. bank of the missouri about 8 miles further, … we heared the report of several rifles very distinctly on the river to our right, we quickly repared to this joyfull sound and on arriving at the bank of the river had the unspeakable satisfaction to see our canoes coming down…”
Wow! How lucky, how fortunate how Divinely blessed could Meriwether Lewis be? Traveling over one hundred miles in an outright run from danger only to arrive at the river to the sound of, first, his men hunting, and, second, his men sending out a rousing welcome from there rifles as they spotted Lewis and his party on the bluff above the river! Amazing! The men quickly move their gear to the canoes, free their horses and set off down the river where they stop at their first cache and retrieve their goods. Adding to their good fortune and incredible luck they find Sgt. Gass and Pvt. Willard arriving with the last of the horses and gear from the portage around the Great Falls at 1:00pm. They were not expected yet. Lewis thought they would have to send some men after them.
“…having now nothing to detain us …we now reimbarked on board the white peroge and five small canoes and decended the river about 15 ms. and encamped on the S. W. side near a few cottonwood trees,…” Having left post haste the combined river party left behind the two deer, six antelope and seven buffalo the two Sgt.’s had killed that morning. So after a “strict guard” was set up at this camp Collins set out to hunt, killed a buffalo and the tired men ate and rested in relative safety. A thunderstorm and rain further concealed them from any pursuers.
Duty. All the men answered the call. Had Ordway and Gass’ party at the portage not persevered through rain and mud they would have been a day or two behind. But they didn’t rest. They did their duty.
Duty. Had Lewis and his men not put the welfare of their comrades above their own safety they would never have found the good fortune of meeting up with their men at the river basically ready to roll. Lewis had no other thought than to care for his men fulfilling his duty in his leadership.
“I encourged them by telling them that our own lives as well as those of our friends and fellow travellers depended on our exertions at this moment; they were allert soon…” Anybodies lives depend on our actions at this moment? I hope we are living on the edge of danger to the point where our actions are that important. Can we see through our spiritual eyes that this is always true?
Our history is filled with those who fulfilled their duty and in so doing met destiny by faith and are counted as great. Hebrews chapter eleven is called the Biblical Hall of Faith because it remembers those who set their destiny fulfilling their duty by faith in the promises of God. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go. I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10-11 MKJV) Fulfill your duty in faith that God holds your times and seasons in His hands for His purposes in greatness. In so doing you bring life to these words today, “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Our Duty. Get the ammo and get back to the foxhole.
Proceed on.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Battle River
Journal 2006 07 27
Battle River
Captain Lewis continues the cliffhanger he left us with last night. “This morning at day light the indians got up and crouded around the fire, J. Fields who was on post had carelessly laid his gun down behid him near where his brother was sleeping, one of the indians the fellow to whom I had given the medal last evening sliped behind him and took his gun and that of his brothers unperceived by him, at the same instant two others advanced and seized the guns of Drewyer and myself, J. Fields seing this turned about to look for his gun and saw the fellow just runing off with her and his brothers he called to his brother who instantly jumped up and pursued the indian with him whom they overtook at the distance of 50 or 60 paces from the camp sized their guns and rested them from him and R Fields as he seized his gun stabed the indian to the heart with his knife the fellow ran about 15 steps and fell dead;…”
“And fell dead…” This force of soldiers has traveled somewhere around five thousand miles and this is the first time they have had to engage in battle with any Indians. Weapons have been drawn before and stand offs engaged in. But they always were able to de-escalate the situation and make peace. Not this time. Lewis indicates days ago that he was trying to avoid an “interview” with this band just for this reason. This was obviously a chance meeting and both sides were cautious. And as I’ve said many times in these pages, never forget that these men were soldiers. They were trained in the ways of war. They knew the main Indian camp was less than a half days ride. Without rifles and horses Lewis and his men were in trouble. So they fought.
“Drewyer who was awake saw the indian take hold of his gun and instantly jumped up and sized her and rested her from him but the indian still retained his pouch, his jumping up and crying damn you let go my gun awakened me I jumped up and asked what was the matter which I quickly learned when I saw drewyer in a scuffle with the indian for his gun. I reached to seize my gun but found her gone, I then drew a pistol from my holster and terning myself about saw the indian making off with my gun…”
All Lewis’ men regained their rifles and now Lewis realized the rest of his adversaries were attempting to cripple them by another theft. “…as soon as they found us all in possession of our arms they ran and indeavored to drive off all the horses I now hollowed to the men and told them to fire on them if they attempted to drive off our horses, they accordingly pursued the main party who were drving the horses up the river and I pursued the man who had taken my gun who with another was driving off a part of the horses which were to the left of the camp, I pursued them so closely that they could not take twelve of their own horses but continued to drive one of mine with some others; at the distance of three hundred paces they entered one of those steep nitches in the bluff with the horses before them being nearly out of breath I could pursue no further, I called to them as I had done several times before that I would shoot them if they did not give me my horse and raised my gun, one of them jumped behind a rock and spoke to the other who turned around and stoped at the distance of 30 steps from me and I shot him through the belly, he fell to his knees and on his wright elbow from which position he partly raised himself up and fired at me, and turning himself about crawled in behind a rock which was a few feet from him. he overshot me, being bearheaded I felt the wind of his bullet very distinctly…”
Captain Lewis and the men quickly regrouped and realizing most of their “guests” from the previous evening had escaped decided to get to the rendevous point below the Great Falls of the Missouri as quickly as possible. “…my design was to hasten to the entrance of Maria's river as quick as possible in the hope of meeting with the canoes and party at that place having no doubt but that they would pursue us with a large party and as there was a band near the broken mountains or probably between them and the mouth of that river we might expect them to receive inteligence from us and arrive at that place nearly as soon as we could, no time was therefore to be lost and we pushed our horses as hard as they would bear.” “…we had caught and saddled the horses and began to arrange the packs when the Fieldses returned with four of our horses; we left one of our horses and took four of the best of those of the indian's; while the men were preparing the horses I put four sheilds and two bows and quivers of arrows which had been left on the fire, with sundry other articles; they left all their baggage at our mercy.”
“…at 8 miles we passed a large branch 40 yds. wide which I called battle river.”
At about three o’clock that afternoon after sixty three miles of swift travel Lewis and the men stop for an hour and a half rest the horses and let them graze. Can you imagine the conversation and level of alertness and anxiety? The party traveled another seventeen miles before darkness fell. They killed a buffalo cow and ate dinner before realizing they could still travel by moonlight. Lewis estimates they made another twenty “leasurely” miles by the light of the moon passing “immence herds of buffalo” as they had all day. Which I would think gave them confidence that it would be difficult to track them and their horses if the buffalo herds obliterated any sign of their passing under the pulverizing impact of thousands of bison hooves. Just as I’m confident that the men took their dinner of buffalo meat after dark so the smoke from their fire would not be visible. And their fire would have been as concealed as possible behind brush and trees.
“we traveled untill 2 OCk in the morning having come by my estimate after dark about 20 ms. we now turned out our horses and laid ourselves down to rest in the plain very much fatiegued as may be readily conceived.” Tired and exhausted from a one hundred mile ride the men lay down to reacquire the strength they spent in battle and escape. Even then Lewis is able to look at the day and records as his last sentence in this journal entry the silver lining found in the loss of his horse to the Indian raiders, “… my indian horse carried me very well in short much better than my own would have done and leaves me with but little reason to complain of the robery.”
Soldiers in battle. The men defended themselves well. Lost the advantage, regained strategic strength and then maintained their advantage by fleeing the battlefield before they lost their military advantage. These explorers were now combat tested and proved themselves just as ready in war.
“And You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have bowed under me those rising against me. And you have given me the neck of my enemies that I might cut off those hating me.” (Psalms 18:39-40 LITV) Anyone rising against you?
Proceed on.
Battle River
Captain Lewis continues the cliffhanger he left us with last night. “This morning at day light the indians got up and crouded around the fire, J. Fields who was on post had carelessly laid his gun down behid him near where his brother was sleeping, one of the indians the fellow to whom I had given the medal last evening sliped behind him and took his gun and that of his brothers unperceived by him, at the same instant two others advanced and seized the guns of Drewyer and myself, J. Fields seing this turned about to look for his gun and saw the fellow just runing off with her and his brothers he called to his brother who instantly jumped up and pursued the indian with him whom they overtook at the distance of 50 or 60 paces from the camp sized their guns and rested them from him and R Fields as he seized his gun stabed the indian to the heart with his knife the fellow ran about 15 steps and fell dead;…”
“And fell dead…” This force of soldiers has traveled somewhere around five thousand miles and this is the first time they have had to engage in battle with any Indians. Weapons have been drawn before and stand offs engaged in. But they always were able to de-escalate the situation and make peace. Not this time. Lewis indicates days ago that he was trying to avoid an “interview” with this band just for this reason. This was obviously a chance meeting and both sides were cautious. And as I’ve said many times in these pages, never forget that these men were soldiers. They were trained in the ways of war. They knew the main Indian camp was less than a half days ride. Without rifles and horses Lewis and his men were in trouble. So they fought.
“Drewyer who was awake saw the indian take hold of his gun and instantly jumped up and sized her and rested her from him but the indian still retained his pouch, his jumping up and crying damn you let go my gun awakened me I jumped up and asked what was the matter which I quickly learned when I saw drewyer in a scuffle with the indian for his gun. I reached to seize my gun but found her gone, I then drew a pistol from my holster and terning myself about saw the indian making off with my gun…”
All Lewis’ men regained their rifles and now Lewis realized the rest of his adversaries were attempting to cripple them by another theft. “…as soon as they found us all in possession of our arms they ran and indeavored to drive off all the horses I now hollowed to the men and told them to fire on them if they attempted to drive off our horses, they accordingly pursued the main party who were drving the horses up the river and I pursued the man who had taken my gun who with another was driving off a part of the horses which were to the left of the camp, I pursued them so closely that they could not take twelve of their own horses but continued to drive one of mine with some others; at the distance of three hundred paces they entered one of those steep nitches in the bluff with the horses before them being nearly out of breath I could pursue no further, I called to them as I had done several times before that I would shoot them if they did not give me my horse and raised my gun, one of them jumped behind a rock and spoke to the other who turned around and stoped at the distance of 30 steps from me and I shot him through the belly, he fell to his knees and on his wright elbow from which position he partly raised himself up and fired at me, and turning himself about crawled in behind a rock which was a few feet from him. he overshot me, being bearheaded I felt the wind of his bullet very distinctly…”
Captain Lewis and the men quickly regrouped and realizing most of their “guests” from the previous evening had escaped decided to get to the rendevous point below the Great Falls of the Missouri as quickly as possible. “…my design was to hasten to the entrance of Maria's river as quick as possible in the hope of meeting with the canoes and party at that place having no doubt but that they would pursue us with a large party and as there was a band near the broken mountains or probably between them and the mouth of that river we might expect them to receive inteligence from us and arrive at that place nearly as soon as we could, no time was therefore to be lost and we pushed our horses as hard as they would bear.” “…we had caught and saddled the horses and began to arrange the packs when the Fieldses returned with four of our horses; we left one of our horses and took four of the best of those of the indian's; while the men were preparing the horses I put four sheilds and two bows and quivers of arrows which had been left on the fire, with sundry other articles; they left all their baggage at our mercy.”
“…at 8 miles we passed a large branch 40 yds. wide which I called battle river.”
At about three o’clock that afternoon after sixty three miles of swift travel Lewis and the men stop for an hour and a half rest the horses and let them graze. Can you imagine the conversation and level of alertness and anxiety? The party traveled another seventeen miles before darkness fell. They killed a buffalo cow and ate dinner before realizing they could still travel by moonlight. Lewis estimates they made another twenty “leasurely” miles by the light of the moon passing “immence herds of buffalo” as they had all day. Which I would think gave them confidence that it would be difficult to track them and their horses if the buffalo herds obliterated any sign of their passing under the pulverizing impact of thousands of bison hooves. Just as I’m confident that the men took their dinner of buffalo meat after dark so the smoke from their fire would not be visible. And their fire would have been as concealed as possible behind brush and trees.
“we traveled untill 2 OCk in the morning having come by my estimate after dark about 20 ms. we now turned out our horses and laid ourselves down to rest in the plain very much fatiegued as may be readily conceived.” Tired and exhausted from a one hundred mile ride the men lay down to reacquire the strength they spent in battle and escape. Even then Lewis is able to look at the day and records as his last sentence in this journal entry the silver lining found in the loss of his horse to the Indian raiders, “… my indian horse carried me very well in short much better than my own would have done and leaves me with but little reason to complain of the robery.”
Soldiers in battle. The men defended themselves well. Lost the advantage, regained strategic strength and then maintained their advantage by fleeing the battlefield before they lost their military advantage. These explorers were now combat tested and proved themselves just as ready in war.
“And You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have bowed under me those rising against me. And you have given me the neck of my enemies that I might cut off those hating me.” (Psalms 18:39-40 LITV) Anyone rising against you?
Proceed on.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Camp Disappointment
Journal 2006 07 26
Camp Disappointment
Meriwether Lewis as Tom Clancy. Today Captain Lewis sets the stage with danger, diplomacy and suspicion as he literally leaves us hanging for the action of the next chapter. This is his last sentence in a long entry, “I took the first watch tonight and set up untill half after eleven; the indians by this time were all asleep, I roused up R. Fields and laid down myself; I directed Fields to watch the movements of the indians and if any of them left the camp to awake us all as I apprehended they would attampt to seal [steal] our horses. this being done I fell into a profound sleep and did not wake untill the noise of the men and indians awoke me a little after light in the morning.---” And he does not record any more until the record of the next day. Imagine if Meriwether Lewis had chosen to write after his return and embellish his exploits in the manner of a great story teller who could build a scene and always leave us wanting more. It would have been a great body of work.
Lewis began this day concluding as his watch passed 9:00am that the weather wasn’t going to break long enough for him to establish his latitude. “we set out biding a lasting adieu to this place which I now call camp disappointment.”
“I had scarcely ascended the hills before I discovered to my left at the distance of a mile an assembleage of about 30 horses, I halted and used my spye glass by the help of which I discovered several indians on the top of an eminence just above them who appeared to be looking down towards the river I presumed at Drewyer. about half the horses were saddled. this was a very unpleasant sight, however I resolved to make the best of our situation and to approach them in a friendly manner…”
“…I directed J. Fields to display the flag which I had brought for that purpose and advanced slowly toward them, about this time they discovered us and appeared to run about in a very confused manner as if much allarmed, their attention had been previously so fixed on Drewyer that they did not discover us untill we had began to advance upon them, some of them decended the hill on which they were and drove their horses within shot of it's summit and again returned to the hight as if to wate our arrival or to defend themselves. I calculated on their number being nearly or quite equal to that of their horses, that our runing would invite pursuit as it would convince them that we were their enimies and our horses were so indifferent that we could not hope to make our escape by flight; added to this Drewyer was seperated from us and I feared that his not being apprized of the indians in the event of our attempting to escape he would most probably fall a sacrefice. under these considerations I still advanced towards them;…”
“…I held out my hand and becconed to him to approach but he paid no attention to my overtures. on his return to his party they all decended the hill and mounted their horses and advanced towards us leaving their horses behind them, we also advanced to meet them. I counted eight of them but still supposed that there were others concealed as there were several other horses saddled. I told the two men with me that I apprehended that these were the Minnetares of Fort de Prarie and from their known character I expected that we were to have some difficulty with them; that if they thought themselves sufficiently strong I was convinced they would attempt to rob us in which case be their numbers what they would I should resist to the last extremity prefering death to that of being deprived of my papers instruments and gun and desired that they would form the same resolution and be allert and on their guard…”
“…they appeared much agitated with our first interview from which they had scarcely yet recovered, in fact I believe they were more allarmed at this accedental interview than we were. from no more of them appearing I now concluded they were only eight in number and became much better satisfyed with our situation as I was convinced that we could mannage that number should they attempt any hostile measures…”
“…as it was growing late in the evening I proposed that we should remove to the nearest part of the river and encamp together, I told them that I was glad to see them and had a great deel to say to them….”
“…there stand tree solitary trees near one of which the indians formed a large simicircular camp of dressed buffaloe skins and invited us to partake of their shelter which Drewyer and myself accepted and the Fieldses lay near the fire in front of the sheter. with the assistance of Drewyer I had much conversation with these people in the course of the evening…”
Lewis then invites them to accompany him to the Great Falls to meet the rest of his men. He promises them ten horses and tobacco if they agree. He receives no answer.
Haven’t we all wondered if the words written in the Bible have real world value? Don’t you think these words accompanied some of the men as they lay out their buffalo skins as beds, “The LORD is my shepherd…He maketh me to lie down in green pastures… Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…(Psalms 23:1-6 KJV)
And I’ll leave us with the same words Lewis did this day two hundred years ago, this being done I fell into a profound sleep and did not wake untill the noise of the men and indians awoke me a little after light in the morning.---”
Proceed on.
Camp Disappointment
Meriwether Lewis as Tom Clancy. Today Captain Lewis sets the stage with danger, diplomacy and suspicion as he literally leaves us hanging for the action of the next chapter. This is his last sentence in a long entry, “I took the first watch tonight and set up untill half after eleven; the indians by this time were all asleep, I roused up R. Fields and laid down myself; I directed Fields to watch the movements of the indians and if any of them left the camp to awake us all as I apprehended they would attampt to seal [steal] our horses. this being done I fell into a profound sleep and did not wake untill the noise of the men and indians awoke me a little after light in the morning.---” And he does not record any more until the record of the next day. Imagine if Meriwether Lewis had chosen to write after his return and embellish his exploits in the manner of a great story teller who could build a scene and always leave us wanting more. It would have been a great body of work.
Lewis began this day concluding as his watch passed 9:00am that the weather wasn’t going to break long enough for him to establish his latitude. “we set out biding a lasting adieu to this place which I now call camp disappointment.”
“I had scarcely ascended the hills before I discovered to my left at the distance of a mile an assembleage of about 30 horses, I halted and used my spye glass by the help of which I discovered several indians on the top of an eminence just above them who appeared to be looking down towards the river I presumed at Drewyer. about half the horses were saddled. this was a very unpleasant sight, however I resolved to make the best of our situation and to approach them in a friendly manner…”
“…I directed J. Fields to display the flag which I had brought for that purpose and advanced slowly toward them, about this time they discovered us and appeared to run about in a very confused manner as if much allarmed, their attention had been previously so fixed on Drewyer that they did not discover us untill we had began to advance upon them, some of them decended the hill on which they were and drove their horses within shot of it's summit and again returned to the hight as if to wate our arrival or to defend themselves. I calculated on their number being nearly or quite equal to that of their horses, that our runing would invite pursuit as it would convince them that we were their enimies and our horses were so indifferent that we could not hope to make our escape by flight; added to this Drewyer was seperated from us and I feared that his not being apprized of the indians in the event of our attempting to escape he would most probably fall a sacrefice. under these considerations I still advanced towards them;…”
“…I held out my hand and becconed to him to approach but he paid no attention to my overtures. on his return to his party they all decended the hill and mounted their horses and advanced towards us leaving their horses behind them, we also advanced to meet them. I counted eight of them but still supposed that there were others concealed as there were several other horses saddled. I told the two men with me that I apprehended that these were the Minnetares of Fort de Prarie and from their known character I expected that we were to have some difficulty with them; that if they thought themselves sufficiently strong I was convinced they would attempt to rob us in which case be their numbers what they would I should resist to the last extremity prefering death to that of being deprived of my papers instruments and gun and desired that they would form the same resolution and be allert and on their guard…”
“…they appeared much agitated with our first interview from which they had scarcely yet recovered, in fact I believe they were more allarmed at this accedental interview than we were. from no more of them appearing I now concluded they were only eight in number and became much better satisfyed with our situation as I was convinced that we could mannage that number should they attempt any hostile measures…”
“…as it was growing late in the evening I proposed that we should remove to the nearest part of the river and encamp together, I told them that I was glad to see them and had a great deel to say to them….”
“…there stand tree solitary trees near one of which the indians formed a large simicircular camp of dressed buffaloe skins and invited us to partake of their shelter which Drewyer and myself accepted and the Fieldses lay near the fire in front of the sheter. with the assistance of Drewyer I had much conversation with these people in the course of the evening…”
Lewis then invites them to accompany him to the Great Falls to meet the rest of his men. He promises them ten horses and tobacco if they agree. He receives no answer.
Haven’t we all wondered if the words written in the Bible have real world value? Don’t you think these words accompanied some of the men as they lay out their buffalo skins as beds, “The LORD is my shepherd…He maketh me to lie down in green pastures… Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…(Psalms 23:1-6 KJV)
And I’ll leave us with the same words Lewis did this day two hundred years ago, this being done I fell into a profound sleep and did not wake untill the noise of the men and indians awoke me a little after light in the morning.---”
Proceed on.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Pompy's Tower
Journal 2006 07 25
Pompy’s Tower
After taking cover under deerskins because of the hard, cold rain falling Clark and party set out again down the Yellowstone River where he records, “at 4 P M arived at a remarkable rock [2] Situated in an extensive bottom on the Stard. Side of the river & 250 paces from it. this rock I ascended and from it's top had a most extensive view in every direction. This rock which I shall Call Pompy's Tower is 200 feet high and 400 paces in secumphrance and only axcessable on one Side which is from the N. E the other parts of it being a perpendicular Clift of lightish Coloured gritty rock on the top there is a tolerable Soil of about 5 or 6 feet thick Covered with Short grass. The Indians have made 2 piles of Stone on the top of this Tower. The nativs have ingraved on the face of this rock the figures of animals &c. near which I marked my name and the day of the month & year. From the top of this Tower I Could discover two low Mountains & the Rocky Mts. covered with Snow S W.” This formation resembles a smaller version of the famous Devil’s Tower. Why William Clark chooses to name it for the youngest member of the party he doesn’t say. We do know that several years later then Governor Clark will raise this young man as his own son. The infant boy had drawn the hearts of the men over the course of this epic. Though many of the names bestowed by Lewis and Clark didn’t stick Pompy’s Tower did. On a modern map it is known as Pompeys Pillar. What a life and legacy this little guy had already laid down! And he hadn’t even ventured one step of the mile of miles these men had traversed. His legacy started with his parents before he could even walk and set him on a course of life that took him around the world and back into the wilderness where he would die at age sixty. More on young Mr. Charbonneau later.
Lewis and his men are hunkered down by the same storm except for Droulliard and Joseph Fields who Captain Lewis sends downstream in search of meat other than doves. As Lewis and the men in camp are preparing dove for dinner, the hunters return with a fine buck, reporting that the main branch of Maria’s River is only about ten miles south. Lewis declares the venison to be “sumptuous” fare.
Back at the tall, circular, flat-topped rock Clark is afforded a view not available from the riverbed. Here he gains perspective he cannot see from the seat of the canoe. How many times would we benefit from finding a tower to scale and gaining a better view? “… Oh lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been my shelter, a strong tower before the enemy.” (Psalms 61:2-3 LITV) I’m making this my prayer for today. One of a discovery of heightened perspective. An unexpected discovery that leads to an unexpected view of my journey. Will you make it yours?
One thing I have learned in my journey is that as true as the Scripture above is the way to find it is to pray and believe that “The name of Jehovah is a tower of strength, the righteous runs into it and is set on high.” (Proverbs 18:10 LITV)
Proceed on.
Pompy’s Tower
After taking cover under deerskins because of the hard, cold rain falling Clark and party set out again down the Yellowstone River where he records, “at 4 P M arived at a remarkable rock [2] Situated in an extensive bottom on the Stard. Side of the river & 250 paces from it. this rock I ascended and from it's top had a most extensive view in every direction. This rock which I shall Call Pompy's Tower is 200 feet high and 400 paces in secumphrance and only axcessable on one Side which is from the N. E the other parts of it being a perpendicular Clift of lightish Coloured gritty rock on the top there is a tolerable Soil of about 5 or 6 feet thick Covered with Short grass. The Indians have made 2 piles of Stone on the top of this Tower. The nativs have ingraved on the face of this rock the figures of animals &c. near which I marked my name and the day of the month & year. From the top of this Tower I Could discover two low Mountains & the Rocky Mts. covered with Snow S W.” This formation resembles a smaller version of the famous Devil’s Tower. Why William Clark chooses to name it for the youngest member of the party he doesn’t say. We do know that several years later then Governor Clark will raise this young man as his own son. The infant boy had drawn the hearts of the men over the course of this epic. Though many of the names bestowed by Lewis and Clark didn’t stick Pompy’s Tower did. On a modern map it is known as Pompeys Pillar. What a life and legacy this little guy had already laid down! And he hadn’t even ventured one step of the mile of miles these men had traversed. His legacy started with his parents before he could even walk and set him on a course of life that took him around the world and back into the wilderness where he would die at age sixty. More on young Mr. Charbonneau later.
Lewis and his men are hunkered down by the same storm except for Droulliard and Joseph Fields who Captain Lewis sends downstream in search of meat other than doves. As Lewis and the men in camp are preparing dove for dinner, the hunters return with a fine buck, reporting that the main branch of Maria’s River is only about ten miles south. Lewis declares the venison to be “sumptuous” fare.
Back at the tall, circular, flat-topped rock Clark is afforded a view not available from the riverbed. Here he gains perspective he cannot see from the seat of the canoe. How many times would we benefit from finding a tower to scale and gaining a better view? “… Oh lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been my shelter, a strong tower before the enemy.” (Psalms 61:2-3 LITV) I’m making this my prayer for today. One of a discovery of heightened perspective. An unexpected discovery that leads to an unexpected view of my journey. Will you make it yours?
One thing I have learned in my journey is that as true as the Scripture above is the way to find it is to pray and believe that “The name of Jehovah is a tower of strength, the righteous runs into it and is set on high.” (Proverbs 18:10 LITV)
Proceed on.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Indian Church
Journal 2006 07 24
Indian Church
Lewis reports that the poor weather is obscuring the sun rendering him unable to make the measurements necessary. He determines that he and his party will remain one more day hoping for clear skies before setting out. With the Indians hunting buffalo in the area earlier there is little game that hasn’t been spooked away. So the men are grateful to eat pigeons that are shot in camp.
Less than two hundred miles SW of Lewis Clark and his party loaded the two canoes lashed together making a primitive catamaran. They “set out” down the Yellowstone River by canoe. They make seventy miles. Two to three times the daily distances traveled to reach the Continental Divide last summer.
“…for me to mention or give an estimate of the differant Spcies of wild animals on this river particularly Buffalow, Elk Antelopes & Wolves would be increditable. I shall therefore be silent on the Subject further. So it is we have a great abundance of the best of meat. we made 70 ms. to day” William Clark
“…on this Island I observd a large lodge the Same which Shannon informed me of a fiew days past. this Lodge a council lodge, it is of a Conocil form 60 feet diamuter at its base built of 20 poles each pole 2½ feet in Secumpheranc and 45 feet Long built in the form of a lodge & covered with bushes. in this Lodge I observed a Cedar bush Sticking up on the opposit side of the lodge fronting the dore, on one side was a Buffalow head, and on the other Several Sticks bent and Stuck in the ground. a Stuffed Buffalow skin was Suspended from the Center with the back down. <on> the top of those poles were deckerated with feathers of the Eagle & Calumet Eagle also Several Curious pieces of wood bent in Circleler form with sticks across them in form of a Griddle hung on tops of the lodge poles others in form of a large Sturrip. This Lodge was errected last Summer. It is Situated in the Center of a butifull Island thinly Covered with Cotton wood under which the earth which is rich is Covered with wild rye and a Species of grass resembling the bluegrass, and a mixture of Sweet grass which the Indian plat and ware around their necks for its cent which is of a Strong sent like that of the Vinella…” William Clark
Sounds a lot like a description of a primitive church. The lodge was huge. Sixty feet across is big. Twenty forty five foot poles at the top to form the cone shape of the tipi. And many objects adorning the structure. Each would have purpose and significance.
Now this was certainly not a church as we would, or should, know it. No Cross. No Christ. Most Native American tribes practiced a form of religion that included a Creator, Earth mother and Great Spirit. In fact it is still practiced in our land today. People were believed to have spirits that would be released into a spirit world upon their death. While not meant to be a religious anthropology lesson many people try to find a fusion of Christianity and the shamanistic forms of Indian theology. We see in the generosity and fine character of the tribes and the Corps of Discovery the dramatically differing views of our spiritual and natural world which will never be resolved in a fashion that brings honor to either. We see the seeds of that chasm in the letter Clark recorded yesterday. William Clark would later become Governor of the Louisiana Territory and spend much of his natural life trying to represent his tribal friends to a world not very willing to hear him.
For our purposes today, Clark’s detailed description of the large tipi, or lodge as they called them, begs a question of inspection in our lives. If a stranger were to examine our church buildings in detail recording all structures and adornments what conclusions could be reached about our activities in the buildings? Would they plainly see Jesus Christ or would they wonder what the crossed sticks represented? Would there be art, statues and other adornments that led from Creation to the Fall to Redemption of man and Creation in Jesus Christ the Son of God? Would they find Bibles in abundance? Most cathedrals, Catholic and Orthodox churches depict the life of Christ in stained glass and murals in the church sanctuary. Holy Family Parish in Auburn, WA where I attended Catechism classes as a child did. Look around this Sunday and see if maybe we couldn’t up the ante in telling the story through methods not requiring words.
Proceed on.
Indian Church
Lewis reports that the poor weather is obscuring the sun rendering him unable to make the measurements necessary. He determines that he and his party will remain one more day hoping for clear skies before setting out. With the Indians hunting buffalo in the area earlier there is little game that hasn’t been spooked away. So the men are grateful to eat pigeons that are shot in camp.
Less than two hundred miles SW of Lewis Clark and his party loaded the two canoes lashed together making a primitive catamaran. They “set out” down the Yellowstone River by canoe. They make seventy miles. Two to three times the daily distances traveled to reach the Continental Divide last summer.
“…for me to mention or give an estimate of the differant Spcies of wild animals on this river particularly Buffalow, Elk Antelopes & Wolves would be increditable. I shall therefore be silent on the Subject further. So it is we have a great abundance of the best of meat. we made 70 ms. to day” William Clark
“…on this Island I observd a large lodge the Same which Shannon informed me of a fiew days past. this Lodge a council lodge, it is of a Conocil form 60 feet diamuter at its base built of 20 poles each pole 2½ feet in Secumpheranc and 45 feet Long built in the form of a lodge & covered with bushes. in this Lodge I observed a Cedar bush Sticking up on the opposit side of the lodge fronting the dore, on one side was a Buffalow head, and on the other Several Sticks bent and Stuck in the ground. a Stuffed Buffalow skin was Suspended from the Center with the back down. <on> the top of those poles were deckerated with feathers of the Eagle & Calumet Eagle also Several Curious pieces of wood bent in Circleler form with sticks across them in form of a Griddle hung on tops of the lodge poles others in form of a large Sturrip. This Lodge was errected last Summer. It is Situated in the Center of a butifull Island thinly Covered with Cotton wood under which the earth which is rich is Covered with wild rye and a Species of grass resembling the bluegrass, and a mixture of Sweet grass which the Indian plat and ware around their necks for its cent which is of a Strong sent like that of the Vinella…” William Clark
Sounds a lot like a description of a primitive church. The lodge was huge. Sixty feet across is big. Twenty forty five foot poles at the top to form the cone shape of the tipi. And many objects adorning the structure. Each would have purpose and significance.
Now this was certainly not a church as we would, or should, know it. No Cross. No Christ. Most Native American tribes practiced a form of religion that included a Creator, Earth mother and Great Spirit. In fact it is still practiced in our land today. People were believed to have spirits that would be released into a spirit world upon their death. While not meant to be a religious anthropology lesson many people try to find a fusion of Christianity and the shamanistic forms of Indian theology. We see in the generosity and fine character of the tribes and the Corps of Discovery the dramatically differing views of our spiritual and natural world which will never be resolved in a fashion that brings honor to either. We see the seeds of that chasm in the letter Clark recorded yesterday. William Clark would later become Governor of the Louisiana Territory and spend much of his natural life trying to represent his tribal friends to a world not very willing to hear him.
For our purposes today, Clark’s detailed description of the large tipi, or lodge as they called them, begs a question of inspection in our lives. If a stranger were to examine our church buildings in detail recording all structures and adornments what conclusions could be reached about our activities in the buildings? Would they plainly see Jesus Christ or would they wonder what the crossed sticks represented? Would there be art, statues and other adornments that led from Creation to the Fall to Redemption of man and Creation in Jesus Christ the Son of God? Would they find Bibles in abundance? Most cathedrals, Catholic and Orthodox churches depict the life of Christ in stained glass and murals in the church sanctuary. Holy Family Parish in Auburn, WA where I attended Catechism classes as a child did. Look around this Sunday and see if maybe we couldn’t up the ante in telling the story through methods not requiring words.
Proceed on.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
A Fixed Point
Journal 2006 07 23
A Fixed Point
Lewis takes the many tedious measurements required to get an accurate fix on their position until “…The clouds obscured the moon and put an end to further observation.” He did fix his position however. And wasn’t that Mario Puzo’s point in the novel “The Godfather?” What sticks in my mind more than any other point of a book I read twenty five years ago was that the central character found meaning and life when he was able to fix his point of reference. That fixed point delivered a means of measurement and brought the full measure of his manhood and life into reality.
Clark sends Sgt. Pryor with Shannon and Windsor to bring the balance of the horses to the Mandan villages and await the arrival of the rest of the party. Three men with twenty some horses of great value. Do you think they were a little cautious in their travels? Do you think they had plenty of lead balls at the ready and plenty of powder dry? Do you think the three of them discussed defensive strategies for the situations they might encounter? Wouldn’t we love to know?
And Clark has evidently been editing the letter he and Lewis use to address new native tribes. I’m posting it in full to give you a flavor of the boldness with which the Corps of Discovery crossed the land. Here he anticipates meeting the Yellowstones.
“Children. The Great Spirit has given a fair and bright day for us to meet together in his View that he may inspect us in this all we say and do.
Children I take you all by the hand as the children of your Great father the President of the U. States of America who is the great chief of all the white people towards the riseing sun.
Children This Great Chief who is Benevolent, just, wise & bountifull has sent me and one other of his chiefs (who is at this time in the country of the Blackfoot Indians) to all his read children on the Missourei and its waters quite to the great lake of the West where the land ends and the sun sets on the face of the great water, to know their wants and inform him of them on our return.
Children We have been to the great lake of the west and are now on our return to my country. I have seen all my read children quite to that great lake and talked with them, and taken them by the hand in the name of their great father the great Chief of all the white people.
Children We did not see the [blank] or the nations to the North. I have [come] across over high mountains and bad road to this river to see the [blank]
Natn. I have come down the river from the foot of the great snowey mountain to see you, and have looked in every derection for you, without seeing you untill now
Children I heard from some of your people [blank] nights past by my horses who complained to me of your people haveing taken 4 [24] of their cummerads.
Children The object of my comeing to see you is not to do you injurey but to do you good the Great Chief of all the white people who has more goods at his command than could be piled up in the circle of your camp, wishing that all his read children should be happy has sent me here to know your wants that he may supply them.
Children Your great father the Chief of the white people intends to build a house and fill it with such things as you may want and exchange with you for your skins & furs at a very low price. & has derected me [to] enquire of you, at what place would be most convenient for to build this house. and what articles you are in want of that he might send them imediately on my return
Children The people in my country is like the grass in your plains noumerous they are also rich and bountifull. and love their read brethren who inhabit the waters of the Missoure
Children I have been out from my country two winters, I am pore necked and nothing to keep of the rain. when I set out from my country I had a plenty but have given it all to my read children whome I have seen on my way to the Great Lake of the West. and have now nothing.
Children Your Great father will be very sorry to here of the [blank] stealing the horses of his Chiefs wariors whome he sent out to do good to his red children on the waters of Missoure.
[two lines illegible] their ears to his good counsels he will shut them and not let any goods & guns be brought to the red people. but to those who open their Ears to his counsels he will send every thing they want into their country. and build a house where they may come to and be supplyed whenever they wish.
Children Your Great father the Chief of all the white people has derected me to inform his red children to be at peace with each other, and the white people who may come into your country under the protection of the Flag of your great father which you. those people who may visit you under the protection of that flag are good people and will do you no harm
Children Your great father has derected me to tell you not to suffer your young and thoughtless men to take the horses or property of your neighbours or the white people, but to trade with them fairly and honestly, as those of his red children below.
Children The red children of your great father who live near him and have opened their ears to his counsels are rich and hapy have plenty of horses cows & Hogs fowls bread &c. &c. live in good houses, and sleep sound. and all those of his red children who inhabit the waters of the Missouri who open their ears to what I say and follow the counsels of their great father the President of the United States, will in a fiew years be a[s] hapy as those mentioned &c.
Children It is the wish of your Great father the Chief of all the white people that some 2 of the principal Chiefs of this [blank] Nation should Visit him at his great city and receive from his own mouth. his good counsels, and from his own hands his abundant gifts, Those of his red children who visit him do not return with empty hands, he send them to their nation loaded with presents
Children If any one two or 3 of your great chiefs wishes to visit your great father and will go with me, he will send you back next Summer loaded with presents and some goods for the nation. You will then see with your own eyes and here with your own years what the white people can do for you. they do not speak with two tongues nor promis what they can't perform
Children Consult together and give me an answer as soon as possible your great father is anxious to here from (& see his red children who wish to visit him) I cannot stay but must proceed on & inform him &c.”
Do we operate with this same sense of boldness in our work? Do we understand the purpose and call of the Kingdom of God being made known, or manifest, in the earth? We need that same boldness and sense of mission and purpose in everything we do. Are we “fixed” to a point of reference that brings purpose to our lives? Like Clark in this letter, are we able to “measure” our origins and interface with our world fixed to that place of beginning?
Proceed on.
A Fixed Point
Lewis takes the many tedious measurements required to get an accurate fix on their position until “…The clouds obscured the moon and put an end to further observation.” He did fix his position however. And wasn’t that Mario Puzo’s point in the novel “The Godfather?” What sticks in my mind more than any other point of a book I read twenty five years ago was that the central character found meaning and life when he was able to fix his point of reference. That fixed point delivered a means of measurement and brought the full measure of his manhood and life into reality.
Clark sends Sgt. Pryor with Shannon and Windsor to bring the balance of the horses to the Mandan villages and await the arrival of the rest of the party. Three men with twenty some horses of great value. Do you think they were a little cautious in their travels? Do you think they had plenty of lead balls at the ready and plenty of powder dry? Do you think the three of them discussed defensive strategies for the situations they might encounter? Wouldn’t we love to know?
And Clark has evidently been editing the letter he and Lewis use to address new native tribes. I’m posting it in full to give you a flavor of the boldness with which the Corps of Discovery crossed the land. Here he anticipates meeting the Yellowstones.
“Children. The Great Spirit has given a fair and bright day for us to meet together in his View that he may inspect us in this all we say and do.
Children I take you all by the hand as the children of your Great father the President of the U. States of America who is the great chief of all the white people towards the riseing sun.
Children This Great Chief who is Benevolent, just, wise & bountifull has sent me and one other of his chiefs (who is at this time in the country of the Blackfoot Indians) to all his read children on the Missourei and its waters quite to the great lake of the West where the land ends and the sun sets on the face of the great water, to know their wants and inform him of them on our return.
Children We have been to the great lake of the west and are now on our return to my country. I have seen all my read children quite to that great lake and talked with them, and taken them by the hand in the name of their great father the great Chief of all the white people.
Children We did not see the [blank] or the nations to the North. I have [come] across over high mountains and bad road to this river to see the [blank]
Natn. I have come down the river from the foot of the great snowey mountain to see you, and have looked in every derection for you, without seeing you untill now
Children I heard from some of your people [blank] nights past by my horses who complained to me of your people haveing taken 4 [24] of their cummerads.
Children The object of my comeing to see you is not to do you injurey but to do you good the Great Chief of all the white people who has more goods at his command than could be piled up in the circle of your camp, wishing that all his read children should be happy has sent me here to know your wants that he may supply them.
Children Your great father the Chief of the white people intends to build a house and fill it with such things as you may want and exchange with you for your skins & furs at a very low price. & has derected me [to] enquire of you, at what place would be most convenient for to build this house. and what articles you are in want of that he might send them imediately on my return
Children The people in my country is like the grass in your plains noumerous they are also rich and bountifull. and love their read brethren who inhabit the waters of the Missoure
Children I have been out from my country two winters, I am pore necked and nothing to keep of the rain. when I set out from my country I had a plenty but have given it all to my read children whome I have seen on my way to the Great Lake of the West. and have now nothing.
Children Your Great father will be very sorry to here of the [blank] stealing the horses of his Chiefs wariors whome he sent out to do good to his red children on the waters of Missoure.
[two lines illegible] their ears to his good counsels he will shut them and not let any goods & guns be brought to the red people. but to those who open their Ears to his counsels he will send every thing they want into their country. and build a house where they may come to and be supplyed whenever they wish.
Children Your Great father the Chief of all the white people has derected me to inform his red children to be at peace with each other, and the white people who may come into your country under the protection of the Flag of your great father which you. those people who may visit you under the protection of that flag are good people and will do you no harm
Children Your great father has derected me to tell you not to suffer your young and thoughtless men to take the horses or property of your neighbours or the white people, but to trade with them fairly and honestly, as those of his red children below.
Children The red children of your great father who live near him and have opened their ears to his counsels are rich and hapy have plenty of horses cows & Hogs fowls bread &c. &c. live in good houses, and sleep sound. and all those of his red children who inhabit the waters of the Missouri who open their ears to what I say and follow the counsels of their great father the President of the United States, will in a fiew years be a[s] hapy as those mentioned &c.
Children It is the wish of your Great father the Chief of all the white people that some 2 of the principal Chiefs of this [blank] Nation should Visit him at his great city and receive from his own mouth. his good counsels, and from his own hands his abundant gifts, Those of his red children who visit him do not return with empty hands, he send them to their nation loaded with presents
Children If any one two or 3 of your great chiefs wishes to visit your great father and will go with me, he will send you back next Summer loaded with presents and some goods for the nation. You will then see with your own eyes and here with your own years what the white people can do for you. they do not speak with two tongues nor promis what they can't perform
Children Consult together and give me an answer as soon as possible your great father is anxious to here from (& see his red children who wish to visit him) I cannot stay but must proceed on & inform him &c.”
Do we operate with this same sense of boldness in our work? Do we understand the purpose and call of the Kingdom of God being made known, or manifest, in the earth? We need that same boldness and sense of mission and purpose in everything we do. Are we “fixed” to a point of reference that brings purpose to our lives? Like Clark in this letter, are we able to “measure” our origins and interface with our world fixed to that place of beginning?
Proceed on.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Far North
Journal 2006 07 22
Far North
North means wilderness and adventure to most of us. We envision snow covered mountains, bears and ultimately the harsh environment of the North Pole and polar bears. If, like me, you’ve watched every John Wayne movie, I find the musical score dancing through my mind, “North, to Alaska…Way up North to Alaska They go north to Russia's home.”
No need for John Wayne today. We have real life heroes. The Captains are almost three hundred miles apart at this stage of their exploration. Sgt.’s Ordway and Gass are midpoint between them and all are in final stages of preparing to break camp, meet below the Great Falls and once more advance east toward the Mandan villages and then St. Louis.
In his camp on the Yellowstone River Clark has lost twenty four horses and suspects that they have been stolen by Indians following them. Smoke signals were seen a few days earlier. The habit throughout the expedition has been to let the horses graze unfettered all night and then collect them in the morning. Many mornings that task required hours. Two years ago my friend and elk hunting partner Jerry Sebranke and I left our horses to graze as we visited with some other hunters. As sunset moved to darkness we looked up to see the horses headed up the trail running away from us! An hour and a couple of miles later in the moonlight we caught up to them. It was a lovely night for a walk.
In the northernmost camp Lewis completes his analysis of the Maria’s River by concluding, “I thought it unnecessary to proceed further and therefore encamped resolving to rest ourselves and horses a couple of days at this place and take the necessary observations. …I now have lost all hope of the waters of this river ever extending to N Latitude 50°” His party will make camp here allowing Lewis adequate time to make the observations which will allow him to set this position on the map. He knows he is short of the fiftieth parallel. Just how short is what he sets his mind to discover.
Once again, what Lewis hoped to discover is not what he found. No record of disappointment. And disappointed he must have been. I’ve never had the thought nor seen mention before, but I’m wondering tonight if Lewis and Clark’s dedication to duty is taught at our military academies. Had they been negligent in keeping their journals they would have failed in their mission. I believe history has rightly judged them as a prime example of excellence through their diligence.
“Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before unknown men.” (Proverbs 22:29 MKJV) The Hebrew patriarch Joseph was sold into slavery out of jealousy and was observed diligent as a slave and prisoner. He was brought before Pharaoh charged to govern all Egypt with the full authority of the King. You can read his story in thirty chapters of the Book of Genesis starting in chapter twenty.
Let’s take this admonition to diligence as our orders for work this week. Even when our hope for discovery is observed to be less than our desired end.
Observe it, record it, report it and then…
proceed on.
Far North
North means wilderness and adventure to most of us. We envision snow covered mountains, bears and ultimately the harsh environment of the North Pole and polar bears. If, like me, you’ve watched every John Wayne movie, I find the musical score dancing through my mind, “North, to Alaska…Way up North to Alaska They go north to Russia's home.”
No need for John Wayne today. We have real life heroes. The Captains are almost three hundred miles apart at this stage of their exploration. Sgt.’s Ordway and Gass are midpoint between them and all are in final stages of preparing to break camp, meet below the Great Falls and once more advance east toward the Mandan villages and then St. Louis.
In his camp on the Yellowstone River Clark has lost twenty four horses and suspects that they have been stolen by Indians following them. Smoke signals were seen a few days earlier. The habit throughout the expedition has been to let the horses graze unfettered all night and then collect them in the morning. Many mornings that task required hours. Two years ago my friend and elk hunting partner Jerry Sebranke and I left our horses to graze as we visited with some other hunters. As sunset moved to darkness we looked up to see the horses headed up the trail running away from us! An hour and a couple of miles later in the moonlight we caught up to them. It was a lovely night for a walk.
In the northernmost camp Lewis completes his analysis of the Maria’s River by concluding, “I thought it unnecessary to proceed further and therefore encamped resolving to rest ourselves and horses a couple of days at this place and take the necessary observations. …I now have lost all hope of the waters of this river ever extending to N Latitude 50°” His party will make camp here allowing Lewis adequate time to make the observations which will allow him to set this position on the map. He knows he is short of the fiftieth parallel. Just how short is what he sets his mind to discover.
Once again, what Lewis hoped to discover is not what he found. No record of disappointment. And disappointed he must have been. I’ve never had the thought nor seen mention before, but I’m wondering tonight if Lewis and Clark’s dedication to duty is taught at our military academies. Had they been negligent in keeping their journals they would have failed in their mission. I believe history has rightly judged them as a prime example of excellence through their diligence.
“Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before unknown men.” (Proverbs 22:29 MKJV) The Hebrew patriarch Joseph was sold into slavery out of jealousy and was observed diligent as a slave and prisoner. He was brought before Pharaoh charged to govern all Egypt with the full authority of the King. You can read his story in thirty chapters of the Book of Genesis starting in chapter twenty.
Let’s take this admonition to diligence as our orders for work this week. Even when our hope for discovery is observed to be less than our desired end.
Observe it, record it, report it and then…
proceed on.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A Sharp Axe
Journal 2006 07 20
A Sharp Axe
Yesterday Sgt.’s Gass and Ordway met at the Great Falls of the Missouri as the Corps recorded its first successful rejoining of forces. The mosquitoes in the area of the Great Falls are much worse, or “troublesome” than last year. Today, both Sgt.’s record that after they test the ability of the horses to draw, or pull, their makeshift carts the horses are almost completely covered with mosquitoes and flies. Can you imagine? Clark also noted a long stretch where grasshoppers had stripped the land of vegetation. Insects. Almost invisible yet capable of vast destruction when massed in hordes.
Have you ever traveled cross country in a national park or wilderness area without a map, compass or gps? It is not easy to find each other if the woods are thick. We know the story of this expedition even as we reread it today, but it is still with a sense of relief that I read the journals of Gass and Ordway recording their finding of one another. I’ve been within two hundred yards of my friends hunting and realized that finding them is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when everyone is trying to remain stealthy.
Clark’s men are busy scouting for a tree big enough for a canoe. Finding none, they settle for building two small canoes and lashing them together to carry men and gear down river. The canoes will be 28 feet long, 16-18 inches deep and 16-24 inches wide. Long, low and narrow. These guys were good rivermen. In order to make the canoes Clark assigns the men to find choke cherry wood for handles to the axe heads the men carried. After that task is complete Clark “…had handles put in the 3 Axes and after Sharpening them with a file fell the two trees…” The men who will take the horses to the Mandan villages will let the horses rest their hooves while the men “will dress their Skins and make themselves Clothes to bare, as they are nearly naked.” And three other men returned from an attempt to retrieve four elk they killed earlier in the day. One elk hide was all they had to show for their efforts after their constant companions, the wolves, beat them to the kill and feasted.
Lewis records rough going for the horses “where it has been trodden by the buffaloe when wet has now become as firm as a brickbat and stands in an inumerable little points quite as formidable to our horses feet as the gravel.” Fewer mosquitoes probably because of less water. “…there is scarcely any water at present in the plains and what there is, lies in small pools and is so strongly impregnated with the mineral salts that it is unfit for any purpose except the uce of the buffaloe. these animals appear to prefer this water to that of the river.” Ever been around bad water? You don’t want to drink it. I took a bath in it several years back and still have the bacteria dogging my body. These guys didn’t have Sweetwater, Pur and MSR to make filters for them.
Three parties instead of four making their way east still makes for a lot of activity to sort through on these pages. My mind is rattling around several. Like bad water, good water and the water of life. Like the predators, the wolves, who are more opportunists and terrorists than predators. Like the mud dried into ankle busting tufts making travel difficult when only weeks before it had been wet and moldable. However, the thought that keeps jumping to the forefront is much simpler. I’m picturing Clark unwrapping three of several axe heads, fitting the handles and then using a file to restore a sharp edge. “If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 GNB)
Hard work vs. smart work. Oh boy, do we have to go here? How many of us are working hard. Have we, as King Solomon said above, been smarter and planned ahead sharpening our tools before setting about our work? Speaking for myself, many times I just forge ahead and end up stopping work because I haven’t adequately thought ahead. My contractor friend, Dave Minor, can put a dollar value on the cost of forgetting to plan ahead. If he has to stop the work, run to Home Depot, buy the proper tool, and restart the job it decreases his profitability. It is easy to see the cost in this example.
How about the cost to our families, cities and nation if we don’t have the proper tools to fashion those items that allow us to advance under the protective banner of good government and infrastructure? Even if we have the proper tools do we take the time to hone their edges that our labor is efficient?
Could it be time for us to look at our work and ask God to show us where we need to stop, get the right tool, sharpen it properly so we can be productive in our work? When we see a good reward for our work it fuels us to do more. May we find the file and put a fine edge our axes that we might see advance.
Proceed on.
A Sharp Axe
Yesterday Sgt.’s Gass and Ordway met at the Great Falls of the Missouri as the Corps recorded its first successful rejoining of forces. The mosquitoes in the area of the Great Falls are much worse, or “troublesome” than last year. Today, both Sgt.’s record that after they test the ability of the horses to draw, or pull, their makeshift carts the horses are almost completely covered with mosquitoes and flies. Can you imagine? Clark also noted a long stretch where grasshoppers had stripped the land of vegetation. Insects. Almost invisible yet capable of vast destruction when massed in hordes.
Have you ever traveled cross country in a national park or wilderness area without a map, compass or gps? It is not easy to find each other if the woods are thick. We know the story of this expedition even as we reread it today, but it is still with a sense of relief that I read the journals of Gass and Ordway recording their finding of one another. I’ve been within two hundred yards of my friends hunting and realized that finding them is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when everyone is trying to remain stealthy.
Clark’s men are busy scouting for a tree big enough for a canoe. Finding none, they settle for building two small canoes and lashing them together to carry men and gear down river. The canoes will be 28 feet long, 16-18 inches deep and 16-24 inches wide. Long, low and narrow. These guys were good rivermen. In order to make the canoes Clark assigns the men to find choke cherry wood for handles to the axe heads the men carried. After that task is complete Clark “…had handles put in the 3 Axes and after Sharpening them with a file fell the two trees…” The men who will take the horses to the Mandan villages will let the horses rest their hooves while the men “will dress their Skins and make themselves Clothes to bare, as they are nearly naked.” And three other men returned from an attempt to retrieve four elk they killed earlier in the day. One elk hide was all they had to show for their efforts after their constant companions, the wolves, beat them to the kill and feasted.
Lewis records rough going for the horses “where it has been trodden by the buffaloe when wet has now become as firm as a brickbat and stands in an inumerable little points quite as formidable to our horses feet as the gravel.” Fewer mosquitoes probably because of less water. “…there is scarcely any water at present in the plains and what there is, lies in small pools and is so strongly impregnated with the mineral salts that it is unfit for any purpose except the uce of the buffaloe. these animals appear to prefer this water to that of the river.” Ever been around bad water? You don’t want to drink it. I took a bath in it several years back and still have the bacteria dogging my body. These guys didn’t have Sweetwater, Pur and MSR to make filters for them.
Three parties instead of four making their way east still makes for a lot of activity to sort through on these pages. My mind is rattling around several. Like bad water, good water and the water of life. Like the predators, the wolves, who are more opportunists and terrorists than predators. Like the mud dried into ankle busting tufts making travel difficult when only weeks before it had been wet and moldable. However, the thought that keeps jumping to the forefront is much simpler. I’m picturing Clark unwrapping three of several axe heads, fitting the handles and then using a file to restore a sharp edge. “If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 GNB)
Hard work vs. smart work. Oh boy, do we have to go here? How many of us are working hard. Have we, as King Solomon said above, been smarter and planned ahead sharpening our tools before setting about our work? Speaking for myself, many times I just forge ahead and end up stopping work because I haven’t adequately thought ahead. My contractor friend, Dave Minor, can put a dollar value on the cost of forgetting to plan ahead. If he has to stop the work, run to Home Depot, buy the proper tool, and restart the job it decreases his profitability. It is easy to see the cost in this example.
How about the cost to our families, cities and nation if we don’t have the proper tools to fashion those items that allow us to advance under the protective banner of good government and infrastructure? Even if we have the proper tools do we take the time to hone their edges that our labor is efficient?
Could it be time for us to look at our work and ask God to show us where we need to stop, get the right tool, sharpen it properly so we can be productive in our work? When we see a good reward for our work it fuels us to do more. May we find the file and put a fine edge our axes that we might see advance.
Proceed on.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Just Regular Guys
Journal 2006 07 18
Just Regular Guys
“…the Musquetoes and Small flyes are verry troublesome. my face and eyes are Swelled by the poison of those insects which bite verry Severe indeed.” Sgt. Ordway
“There was another plesant day, and I went down with three of the men to the lower end of the portage to examine the periogue and deposit there, and found all safe. We took some tobacco out of the deposit, covered up all again, until the party should arrive with the canoes, and returned to camp”. Sgt. Gass
“…we passed immence herds of buffaloe on our way in short for about 12 miles it appeared as one herd only the whole plains and vally of this creek being covered with them; saw a number of wolves of both speceis, also Antelopes and some horses.”
“I keep a strict lookout every night, I take my tour of watch with the men.” Captain Lewis
“…after brackfast I proceeded on as usial, passd. over points of ridges So as to cut off bends of the [NB: river] crossed a Small Muddy brook on which I found great quantities of the Purple, yellow & black currents ripe. they were of an excellent flavour. I think the purple Superior to any I have ever tasted.”Captain Clark
Reading the accounts from these young soldiers today I am most aware of their very human observations and records. Ordway records the reality of the torment of the mosquitoes. Gass records their desire for tobacco. Lewis records his awe at twelve miles of buffalo. He also records that he took his turn on watch during the night out of their fear of an Indian encounter where they could be overwhelmed. Clark takes time to give his opinion of his favorite flavor of currant. He found the purple one to be “superior.”
When my dad was asked to say a couple of words about his brother who had given his life in battle for the island of Okinawa during WWII we hoped he would give us lots of details about how great and wonderful his eighteen year old big brother was. What we got was a shrug of the shoulders, turned out palms and the simple statement, “He was just a regular guy.” All good soldiers will tell you they were not heroes. By their own account they are “just regular guys.”
These young men were soldiers. They were tough. As tough as any in the land. We should never forget they were very human. And young. Mel Gibson tells the story of Colonel Hal Moore and his first ever Air Cavalry battle in the early stages of American involvement in Vietnam. The title of the book and movie is a reminder of the idea rattling through my brain today, “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young.” If you’ve read the book or watched the director’s cut of the movie the overriding theme was that the author and film maker “had to get it right” when telling the story of the battle, the young men who fought it and their families.
And we need to do and be the same. Let’s tell the stories and “get it right.” Record the facts, speak from the heart and then talk about the ones you love and those who love you. If we can do that we will “get it right” and being “just a regular guy” will be enough.
Proceed on.
Just Regular Guys
“…the Musquetoes and Small flyes are verry troublesome. my face and eyes are Swelled by the poison of those insects which bite verry Severe indeed.” Sgt. Ordway
“There was another plesant day, and I went down with three of the men to the lower end of the portage to examine the periogue and deposit there, and found all safe. We took some tobacco out of the deposit, covered up all again, until the party should arrive with the canoes, and returned to camp”. Sgt. Gass
“…we passed immence herds of buffaloe on our way in short for about 12 miles it appeared as one herd only the whole plains and vally of this creek being covered with them; saw a number of wolves of both speceis, also Antelopes and some horses.”
“I keep a strict lookout every night, I take my tour of watch with the men.” Captain Lewis
“…after brackfast I proceeded on as usial, passd. over points of ridges So as to cut off bends of the [NB: river] crossed a Small Muddy brook on which I found great quantities of the Purple, yellow & black currents ripe. they were of an excellent flavour. I think the purple Superior to any I have ever tasted.”Captain Clark
Reading the accounts from these young soldiers today I am most aware of their very human observations and records. Ordway records the reality of the torment of the mosquitoes. Gass records their desire for tobacco. Lewis records his awe at twelve miles of buffalo. He also records that he took his turn on watch during the night out of their fear of an Indian encounter where they could be overwhelmed. Clark takes time to give his opinion of his favorite flavor of currant. He found the purple one to be “superior.”
When my dad was asked to say a couple of words about his brother who had given his life in battle for the island of Okinawa during WWII we hoped he would give us lots of details about how great and wonderful his eighteen year old big brother was. What we got was a shrug of the shoulders, turned out palms and the simple statement, “He was just a regular guy.” All good soldiers will tell you they were not heroes. By their own account they are “just regular guys.”
These young men were soldiers. They were tough. As tough as any in the land. We should never forget they were very human. And young. Mel Gibson tells the story of Colonel Hal Moore and his first ever Air Cavalry battle in the early stages of American involvement in Vietnam. The title of the book and movie is a reminder of the idea rattling through my brain today, “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young.” If you’ve read the book or watched the director’s cut of the movie the overriding theme was that the author and film maker “had to get it right” when telling the story of the battle, the young men who fought it and their families.
And we need to do and be the same. Let’s tell the stories and “get it right.” Record the facts, speak from the heart and then talk about the ones you love and those who love you. If we can do that we will “get it right” and being “just a regular guy” will be enough.
Proceed on.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Write It and Run With It
Journal 2006 07 17
Write It and Run With It
“I arrose early this morning and made a drawing of the falls. after which we took breakfast and departed. it being my design to strike Maria's river about the place at which I left it on my return to it's mouth in the begining of June 1805. I steered my course through the wide and level plains which have somewhat the appearance of an ocean, not a tree nor a shrub to be seen. the land is not fertile, at least far less so, than the plains of the Columbia or those lower down this river, it is a light coloured soil intermixed with a considerable proportion of coarse gravel without sand, when dry it cracks and appears thursty and is very hard, in it's wet state, it is as soft and slipry as so much soft soap. the grass is naturally but short and at present has been rendered much more so by the graizing of the buffaloe, the whole face of the country as far as the eye can reach looks like a well shaved bowlinggreen, in which immence and numerous herds of buffaloe were seen feeding attended by their scarcely less numerous sheepherds the wolves. we saw a number of goats as usual today, also the party coloured plover with the brick red head and neck; this bird remains about the little ponds which are distributed over the face of these plains and here raise their young. we killed a buffaloe cow as we passed throug the plains and took the hump and tonge which furnish ample rations for four men one day. at 5 P. M. we arrived at rose [NB?: Tansy] river where I purposed remaining all night as I could not reach maria's river this evening and unless I did there would be but little probability of our finding any wood and very probably no water either. on our arrival at the river we saw where a wounded and bleading buffaloe had just passed and concluded it was probable that the indians had been runing them and were near at hand. the Minnetares of Fort de prarie and the blackfoot indians rove through this quarter of the country and as they are a vicious lawless and reather an abandoned set of wretches I wish to avoid an interview with them if possible. I have no doubt but they would steel our horses if they have it in their power and finding us weak should they happen to be numerous wil most probably attempt to rob us of our arms and baggage; at all events I am determined to take every posible precaution to avoid them if possible. I hurried over the river to a thick wood and turned out the horses to graize; sent Drewyer to pursue and kill the wounded buffaloe in order to determine whether it had been woundded by the indians or not, and proceeded myself to reconnoitre the adjacent country having sent R. Fields for the same purpose a different rout. I ascended the river hills and by the help of my glass examined the plains but could make no discovery, in about an hour I returned to camp, where I met with the others who had been as unsuccessfull as myself. Drewyer could not find the wounded buffaloe. J. Fields whom I had left at camp had already roasted some of the buffaloe meat and we took dinner after which I sent Drewyer and R. Fields to resume their resurches for the indians; and set myself down to record the transactions of the day. [NB?: Tansy] rose [EC: Teton] river is at this place fifty yards wide, the water which is only about 3 feet deep occupys about 35 yds. and is very terbid of a white colour. the general course of this river is from East to west so far as I can discover it's track through the plains, it's bottoms are wide and well timbered with cottonwood both the broad and narrow leafed speceis. the bed of this stream is small gravel and mud; it's banks are low but never overflow, the hills are about 100 or 150 feet high; it possesses bluffs of earth like the lower part of the Missouri; except the debth and valocity of it's stream and it is the Missouri in miniture. from the size of rose river at this place and it's direction I have no doubt but it takes it's source within the first range of the Rocky mountains. the bush which bears the red berry [8] is here in great plenty in the river bottoms” Captain Lewis’ Journal.
This is the full entry for Lewis this day. I included it unedited because it is such a classic illustration of him waxing on in colonial elegance regarding the events of the day. Are we able to record our days with such an elegant sense of purpose? Do we?
William Clark notes the following among his notes of the day. “I Saw in one of those Small bottoms which I passed this evening an Indian fort which appears to have been built last Summer. this fort was built of logs and bark. the logs was put up very Closely [NB: ends supporting each other] capping on each other about 5 feet [NB: high] and Closely chinked. around which bark was Set up on end so as to Cover the Logs. the enterance was also guarded by a work on each Side of it and faceing the river. this work is about 50 feet Diameter & nearly round. the Squaw informs me that when the war parties [NB: of Minnits Crows &, who fight Shoshonees] find themselves pursued they make those forts to defend themselves in from the pursuers whose Superior numbers might other wise over power them and cut them off without receiveing much injurey on hors back &c.”
We learn that the indians would build a “fort” for defense when pursued. This is the first record of that structure on the plains and receives clarity from “the Squaw.”
So are we recording our lives for our descendants and for the good of the order? “And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.” (Habakkuk 2:2 MKJV)
That’s what I’m doing here. Writing things down that we all might receive vision from God and run. And that those who come behind us might do the same. Don’t be afraid to find out what and how He might have you to communicate the vision He gives you. Pictures? Paintings? Sculptures? Movies? Plays? Music? Exercise the gift you’ve been given.
Proceed on.
Write It and Run With It
“I arrose early this morning and made a drawing of the falls. after which we took breakfast and departed. it being my design to strike Maria's river about the place at which I left it on my return to it's mouth in the begining of June 1805. I steered my course through the wide and level plains which have somewhat the appearance of an ocean, not a tree nor a shrub to be seen. the land is not fertile, at least far less so, than the plains of the Columbia or those lower down this river, it is a light coloured soil intermixed with a considerable proportion of coarse gravel without sand, when dry it cracks and appears thursty and is very hard, in it's wet state, it is as soft and slipry as so much soft soap. the grass is naturally but short and at present has been rendered much more so by the graizing of the buffaloe, the whole face of the country as far as the eye can reach looks like a well shaved bowlinggreen, in which immence and numerous herds of buffaloe were seen feeding attended by their scarcely less numerous sheepherds the wolves. we saw a number of goats as usual today, also the party coloured plover with the brick red head and neck; this bird remains about the little ponds which are distributed over the face of these plains and here raise their young. we killed a buffaloe cow as we passed throug the plains and took the hump and tonge which furnish ample rations for four men one day. at 5 P. M. we arrived at rose [NB?: Tansy] river where I purposed remaining all night as I could not reach maria's river this evening and unless I did there would be but little probability of our finding any wood and very probably no water either. on our arrival at the river we saw where a wounded and bleading buffaloe had just passed and concluded it was probable that the indians had been runing them and were near at hand. the Minnetares of Fort de prarie and the blackfoot indians rove through this quarter of the country and as they are a vicious lawless and reather an abandoned set of wretches I wish to avoid an interview with them if possible. I have no doubt but they would steel our horses if they have it in their power and finding us weak should they happen to be numerous wil most probably attempt to rob us of our arms and baggage; at all events I am determined to take every posible precaution to avoid them if possible. I hurried over the river to a thick wood and turned out the horses to graize; sent Drewyer to pursue and kill the wounded buffaloe in order to determine whether it had been woundded by the indians or not, and proceeded myself to reconnoitre the adjacent country having sent R. Fields for the same purpose a different rout. I ascended the river hills and by the help of my glass examined the plains but could make no discovery, in about an hour I returned to camp, where I met with the others who had been as unsuccessfull as myself. Drewyer could not find the wounded buffaloe. J. Fields whom I had left at camp had already roasted some of the buffaloe meat and we took dinner after which I sent Drewyer and R. Fields to resume their resurches for the indians; and set myself down to record the transactions of the day. [NB?: Tansy] rose [EC: Teton] river is at this place fifty yards wide, the water which is only about 3 feet deep occupys about 35 yds. and is very terbid of a white colour. the general course of this river is from East to west so far as I can discover it's track through the plains, it's bottoms are wide and well timbered with cottonwood both the broad and narrow leafed speceis. the bed of this stream is small gravel and mud; it's banks are low but never overflow, the hills are about 100 or 150 feet high; it possesses bluffs of earth like the lower part of the Missouri; except the debth and valocity of it's stream and it is the Missouri in miniture. from the size of rose river at this place and it's direction I have no doubt but it takes it's source within the first range of the Rocky mountains. the bush which bears the red berry [8] is here in great plenty in the river bottoms” Captain Lewis’ Journal.
This is the full entry for Lewis this day. I included it unedited because it is such a classic illustration of him waxing on in colonial elegance regarding the events of the day. Are we able to record our days with such an elegant sense of purpose? Do we?
William Clark notes the following among his notes of the day. “I Saw in one of those Small bottoms which I passed this evening an Indian fort which appears to have been built last Summer. this fort was built of logs and bark. the logs was put up very Closely [NB: ends supporting each other] capping on each other about 5 feet [NB: high] and Closely chinked. around which bark was Set up on end so as to Cover the Logs. the enterance was also guarded by a work on each Side of it and faceing the river. this work is about 50 feet Diameter & nearly round. the Squaw informs me that when the war parties [NB: of Minnits Crows &, who fight Shoshonees] find themselves pursued they make those forts to defend themselves in from the pursuers whose Superior numbers might other wise over power them and cut them off without receiveing much injurey on hors back &c.”
We learn that the indians would build a “fort” for defense when pursued. This is the first record of that structure on the plains and receives clarity from “the Squaw.”
So are we recording our lives for our descendants and for the good of the order? “And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.” (Habakkuk 2:2 MKJV)
That’s what I’m doing here. Writing things down that we all might receive vision from God and run. And that those who come behind us might do the same. Don’t be afraid to find out what and how He might have you to communicate the vision He gives you. Pictures? Paintings? Sculptures? Movies? Plays? Music? Exercise the gift you’ve been given.
Proceed on.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
A Time and a Different Season
Journal 2006 07 16
A Time and a Different Season
Captain Lewis, his seven soldiers and their ten horses arrive at the Great Falls at sunset. Lewis sketches the Great Falls in the evening and following morning noting, “these falls have abated much of their grandure since I first arrived at them in June 1805, the water being much lower at preset than it was at that moment, however they are still a sublimely grand object.” Can’t you just here the ‘60’s rock band, The Byrds, singing “there is a season, turn turn turn…?” How different the inbound journey from the outbound! What a difference a season makes. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV) A different season.
“When Capt. Lewis left us, he gave orders that we should wait at the mouth of Maria's river to the 1st of Sept., at which time, should he not arrive, we were to proceed on and join Capt. Clarke at the mouth of the Yellow-stone river, and then to return home: but informed us, that should his life and health be preserved, he would meet us at the mouth of Maria's river on the 5th of August.” Sgt. Gass
And Captain Clark is working his way down the Yellowstone River looking for a tree large enough for a canoe big enough to be of use to them. They have yet to find one. Today marks the first buffalo killed and dined on for Clark and his force. More importantly, they fashion booties from the raw elk hide for the hooves of their horses. They horses are suffering from the continual journey over rocks and stones. Without horseshoes the rocks act like sandpaper grinding down their hooves. “ I had Mockersons made of green Buffalow Skin and put on their feet which Seams to releve them very much in passing over the Stoney plains.” In fact, Clark notes the presence of a type of stone that would make an excellent grinding material.
So Clark sees only one course of action, to proceed on! “…no other alternetive for me but to proceed on down untill I can find a tree Sufficently large &c. to make a Canoe.”
It is a different time and season for the inbound travelers spread out across the soon to be emerging American West. And although the way is still rough and things have changed. You can tell from their record that their minds are alert to the task and they are taking great pleasure in a level of familiarity with the wonders they find. They are also still noting the troublesome things like mosquitoes, snakes and bears that hinder their advance. We have not heard of the prickly pear cactus that so tortured their portage last fall. And I believe they see the bears with great respect and a sense of warfare to overcome the raw power of the strength of the most magnificent bruin.
Do we see that despite the familiar ground of today that we are operating in a different time and season from any we’ve known before? I know what happens to me when I ‘m around that which is familiar. I lose interest to the degree of my familiarity. If we’ve grown bored or impatient with our daily lives lets ask God to let us see the times and seasons He has set before us that we might advance the Kingdom of God into territory that He intends to move from unfamiliar to familiar. Take courage in His vision, not ours.
Proceed on,
A Time and a Different Season
Captain Lewis, his seven soldiers and their ten horses arrive at the Great Falls at sunset. Lewis sketches the Great Falls in the evening and following morning noting, “these falls have abated much of their grandure since I first arrived at them in June 1805, the water being much lower at preset than it was at that moment, however they are still a sublimely grand object.” Can’t you just here the ‘60’s rock band, The Byrds, singing “there is a season, turn turn turn…?” How different the inbound journey from the outbound! What a difference a season makes. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV) A different season.
“When Capt. Lewis left us, he gave orders that we should wait at the mouth of Maria's river to the 1st of Sept., at which time, should he not arrive, we were to proceed on and join Capt. Clarke at the mouth of the Yellow-stone river, and then to return home: but informed us, that should his life and health be preserved, he would meet us at the mouth of Maria's river on the 5th of August.” Sgt. Gass
And Captain Clark is working his way down the Yellowstone River looking for a tree large enough for a canoe big enough to be of use to them. They have yet to find one. Today marks the first buffalo killed and dined on for Clark and his force. More importantly, they fashion booties from the raw elk hide for the hooves of their horses. They horses are suffering from the continual journey over rocks and stones. Without horseshoes the rocks act like sandpaper grinding down their hooves. “ I had Mockersons made of green Buffalow Skin and put on their feet which Seams to releve them very much in passing over the Stoney plains.” In fact, Clark notes the presence of a type of stone that would make an excellent grinding material.
So Clark sees only one course of action, to proceed on! “…no other alternetive for me but to proceed on down untill I can find a tree Sufficently large &c. to make a Canoe.”
It is a different time and season for the inbound travelers spread out across the soon to be emerging American West. And although the way is still rough and things have changed. You can tell from their record that their minds are alert to the task and they are taking great pleasure in a level of familiarity with the wonders they find. They are also still noting the troublesome things like mosquitoes, snakes and bears that hinder their advance. We have not heard of the prickly pear cactus that so tortured their portage last fall. And I believe they see the bears with great respect and a sense of warfare to overcome the raw power of the strength of the most magnificent bruin.
Do we see that despite the familiar ground of today that we are operating in a different time and season from any we’ve known before? I know what happens to me when I ‘m around that which is familiar. I lose interest to the degree of my familiarity. If we’ve grown bored or impatient with our daily lives lets ask God to let us see the times and seasons He has set before us that we might advance the Kingdom of God into territory that He intends to move from unfamiliar to familiar. Take courage in His vision, not ours.
Proceed on,
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Bear Country
Journal 2006 07 15
Bear Country
“In the evening, the man who had started to go to the other end of the portage (McNeal), returned without being there. A white bear met him at Willow creek, that so frightened his horse that he threw him off among the feet of the animal; but he fortunately (being too near to shoot) had sufficient presence of mind to hit the bear on the head with his gun; and the stroke so stunned it, that it gave him time to get up a tree close by before it could seize him. The blow, however, broke the gun and rendered it useless; and the bear watched him about three hours and went away; when he came down, caught his horse about two miles distant, and returned to camp. These bears are very numerous in this part of the country and very dangerous, as they will attack a man every oportunity.”
Sgt. Patrick Gass
“…these bear are a most tremenduous animal; it seems that the hand of providence has been most wonderfully in our favor with rispect to them, or some of us would long since have fallen a sacrifice to their farosity.” Captain Lewis
As Lewis and his men are near the Great Falls that required the great portage last summer he recalls the great danger they met in this area and reflects much as I did when I wrote about it last June. I wrote of Lewis’ day of what appeared to be Heaven on earth that he was required to defend his life from natural enemies three times and decided to head back to the safety of his men rather than spend the night alone and tempt fate to continue to overtake his life. Today he writes, “…there seems to be a sertain fatality attatched to the neighbourhood of these falls, for there is always a chapter of accedents prepared for us during our residence at them.”
And as a footnote to today’s record he adds, “…the musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist; for my own part I am confined by them to my bier at least ¾ths of my time. my dog even howls with the torture he experiences from them, they are always most insupportable, they are so numerous that we frequently get them in our thrats as we breath.”
Meriwether Lewis lost his hope for Paradise on earth last summer after the bear, cougar and snake attacked him in succession. He still marvels at Creation. He also acknowledges the portions that result from what I would call “The Fall.”
God created a garden and placed the man He had created in it. He looked at what He had made and decided the man needed a “helpmeet” a companion. A woman. He took a rib out of the man and formed the woman. They later sinned by disobeying God. God forgave them, covered their shame (which required an animal to be slain) and banished them from the Garden forever. And the history of mankind and the world has been built around redeeming that act, that sin, that required separation from God.
“The Fall” and the decay that follows it. We think we live a long life. We live far shorter lives than the patriarchs of Isreal. Scientists tell us that the universe is in “decay.” It is not on an upward climb of evolution but a downward spiral of physical decay into a sin-caused spiral of loss.
Meriwether Lewis recognized the juxtaposition of the grandeur of Creation and the depravity of our natural world. Do we? We had DDT for mosquitoes, now we have DEET. We can close ourselves off from most of the uncomfortable parts of life, but we still have sin and death.
The wonder of Creation points us to Father God. The depravity, or perversion through decay, of Creation points us to the Father’s plan for redemption. His Son, Jesus Christ.
So do you see it? They are both in front of our eyes for the taking. Mt. Rainier on a clear day in Seattle. Troublesome mosquitoes and horseflies dogging your every step and breath as you hike or camp around that same mountain. Let them speak to your mind and heart to see the truth.
Proceed on.
Bear Country
“In the evening, the man who had started to go to the other end of the portage (McNeal), returned without being there. A white bear met him at Willow creek, that so frightened his horse that he threw him off among the feet of the animal; but he fortunately (being too near to shoot) had sufficient presence of mind to hit the bear on the head with his gun; and the stroke so stunned it, that it gave him time to get up a tree close by before it could seize him. The blow, however, broke the gun and rendered it useless; and the bear watched him about three hours and went away; when he came down, caught his horse about two miles distant, and returned to camp. These bears are very numerous in this part of the country and very dangerous, as they will attack a man every oportunity.”
Sgt. Patrick Gass
“…these bear are a most tremenduous animal; it seems that the hand of providence has been most wonderfully in our favor with rispect to them, or some of us would long since have fallen a sacrifice to their farosity.” Captain Lewis
As Lewis and his men are near the Great Falls that required the great portage last summer he recalls the great danger they met in this area and reflects much as I did when I wrote about it last June. I wrote of Lewis’ day of what appeared to be Heaven on earth that he was required to defend his life from natural enemies three times and decided to head back to the safety of his men rather than spend the night alone and tempt fate to continue to overtake his life. Today he writes, “…there seems to be a sertain fatality attatched to the neighbourhood of these falls, for there is always a chapter of accedents prepared for us during our residence at them.”
And as a footnote to today’s record he adds, “…the musquetoes continue to infest us in such manner that we can scarcely exist; for my own part I am confined by them to my bier at least ¾ths of my time. my dog even howls with the torture he experiences from them, they are always most insupportable, they are so numerous that we frequently get them in our thrats as we breath.”
Meriwether Lewis lost his hope for Paradise on earth last summer after the bear, cougar and snake attacked him in succession. He still marvels at Creation. He also acknowledges the portions that result from what I would call “The Fall.”
God created a garden and placed the man He had created in it. He looked at what He had made and decided the man needed a “helpmeet” a companion. A woman. He took a rib out of the man and formed the woman. They later sinned by disobeying God. God forgave them, covered their shame (which required an animal to be slain) and banished them from the Garden forever. And the history of mankind and the world has been built around redeeming that act, that sin, that required separation from God.
“The Fall” and the decay that follows it. We think we live a long life. We live far shorter lives than the patriarchs of Isreal. Scientists tell us that the universe is in “decay.” It is not on an upward climb of evolution but a downward spiral of physical decay into a sin-caused spiral of loss.
Meriwether Lewis recognized the juxtaposition of the grandeur of Creation and the depravity of our natural world. Do we? We had DDT for mosquitoes, now we have DEET. We can close ourselves off from most of the uncomfortable parts of life, but we still have sin and death.
The wonder of Creation points us to Father God. The depravity, or perversion through decay, of Creation points us to the Father’s plan for redemption. His Son, Jesus Christ.
So do you see it? They are both in front of our eyes for the taking. Mt. Rainier on a clear day in Seattle. Troublesome mosquitoes and horseflies dogging your every step and breath as you hike or camp around that same mountain. Let them speak to your mind and heart to see the truth.
Proceed on.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
For Such a Time as This
Journal 2006 07 13
For Such a Time as This
“The indian woman who has been of great Service to me as a pilot through this Country recommends a gap in the mountain more South which I shall cross.—” Clark
“…found my bearskins entirly destroyed by the water, the river having risen so high that the water had penitrated. all my specimens of plants also lost. the Chart of the Missouri fortunately escaped. [3] opened my trunks and boxes and exposed the articles to dry. found my papers damp and several articles damp. the stoper had come out of a phial of laudinum and the contents had run into the drawer and distroyed a gret part of my medicine in sucuh manner that it was past recovery.” Lewis
Clark records Sacagawea’s contribution to the Corps as they pass through this area familiar to her. Her ability is made obvious by the comments of Captain Clark. At least this time he refers to her as “the indian woman” rather than as “our interpreter’s squar.” Don’t know why the Captains don’t use her name.
Like Clark a few days earlier, Lewis opens a cache and finds that his plant samples and medicines have been destroyed. Everything else is damp but survives.
My mind rolls back to the picture of this teenage mother leading this battle tested group of wilderness travelers. She has long proven her worth as a member of the party by her courage and contributions. When she gave up her beautiful and valued blue beaded belt for Captain Lewis’ personal gain on the Columbia Rivera she cemented her commitment to the mission and the men leading it. She is confident in her ability to lead the men through this uncharted country based on what we would call childhood memories. Remember, she was no more than fifteen years old when she was captured and carried away.
Would you trust any portion of your enterprise to a sixteen year old? What would the dynamic be if you put her in charge of leading your veteran employers? It is a tribute to Clark and the rest of the men that they didn’t grumble at following this young Shoshone woman.
In our world today the Captains would publish a leadership book and it would have to include a chapter about shared leadership. How would they present this material? Would it be in recognizing training and skills in your team? Would it be found in a chapter on unlocking the potential of your team? Or would someone draw a conclusion that included the benefits of clashing cultures?
I offer a better explanation. The example of a young Jewish princess known for her beauty. Her beauty was used by God to reveal her character. And it is in her character that she is immortalized as an example for young women throughout eternity. God revealed her heart through her character and beauty. And that is a beautiful thing. Her story is found in the book of Esther in the Bible. The fulcrum, the point of leverage and change, occurs when she is faced with death if she defends her people or eternal guilt if she remains silent and watches the slaughter of the Israelites. Her Uncle Mordecai poses the question to her, “If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”
(Esther 4:14 MSG)
The question holds the answer today as it did centuries ago. We were created for today. And for the problems of today. And for the blessings of today. We must fight the battles of today. For Esther it was bringing the truth to her husband the King under the very real risk of death. For Sacagawea it was speaking up to let the Captains know that she could lead the men. Was she risking death? Not from the Captains. But if they rebuked her and ignored the truth of her knowledge they could well have led the men into situations that brought death. She spoke up. She was created “for such a time as this.” And she revealed her heart and she proved her worth. I hope young women draw inspiration from her as they have from Esther over the years.
The only question that remains is how about each of us? Have we faced our “for such a time as this?” How did we respond? What was revealed of your heart? Was your character formed in the process? If that time is yet ahead of you, and I will contend that if we are still living that it is, ask the Lord for wisdom to see it when it arrives that you may be revealed to be like Queen Esther, fit to rule as royalty.
Proceed on.
For Such a Time as This
“The indian woman who has been of great Service to me as a pilot through this Country recommends a gap in the mountain more South which I shall cross.—” Clark
“…found my bearskins entirly destroyed by the water, the river having risen so high that the water had penitrated. all my specimens of plants also lost. the Chart of the Missouri fortunately escaped. [3] opened my trunks and boxes and exposed the articles to dry. found my papers damp and several articles damp. the stoper had come out of a phial of laudinum and the contents had run into the drawer and distroyed a gret part of my medicine in sucuh manner that it was past recovery.” Lewis
Clark records Sacagawea’s contribution to the Corps as they pass through this area familiar to her. Her ability is made obvious by the comments of Captain Clark. At least this time he refers to her as “the indian woman” rather than as “our interpreter’s squar.” Don’t know why the Captains don’t use her name.
Like Clark a few days earlier, Lewis opens a cache and finds that his plant samples and medicines have been destroyed. Everything else is damp but survives.
My mind rolls back to the picture of this teenage mother leading this battle tested group of wilderness travelers. She has long proven her worth as a member of the party by her courage and contributions. When she gave up her beautiful and valued blue beaded belt for Captain Lewis’ personal gain on the Columbia Rivera she cemented her commitment to the mission and the men leading it. She is confident in her ability to lead the men through this uncharted country based on what we would call childhood memories. Remember, she was no more than fifteen years old when she was captured and carried away.
Would you trust any portion of your enterprise to a sixteen year old? What would the dynamic be if you put her in charge of leading your veteran employers? It is a tribute to Clark and the rest of the men that they didn’t grumble at following this young Shoshone woman.
In our world today the Captains would publish a leadership book and it would have to include a chapter about shared leadership. How would they present this material? Would it be in recognizing training and skills in your team? Would it be found in a chapter on unlocking the potential of your team? Or would someone draw a conclusion that included the benefits of clashing cultures?
I offer a better explanation. The example of a young Jewish princess known for her beauty. Her beauty was used by God to reveal her character. And it is in her character that she is immortalized as an example for young women throughout eternity. God revealed her heart through her character and beauty. And that is a beautiful thing. Her story is found in the book of Esther in the Bible. The fulcrum, the point of leverage and change, occurs when she is faced with death if she defends her people or eternal guilt if she remains silent and watches the slaughter of the Israelites. Her Uncle Mordecai poses the question to her, “If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”
(Esther 4:14 MSG)
The question holds the answer today as it did centuries ago. We were created for today. And for the problems of today. And for the blessings of today. We must fight the battles of today. For Esther it was bringing the truth to her husband the King under the very real risk of death. For Sacagawea it was speaking up to let the Captains know that she could lead the men. Was she risking death? Not from the Captains. But if they rebuked her and ignored the truth of her knowledge they could well have led the men into situations that brought death. She spoke up. She was created “for such a time as this.” And she revealed her heart and she proved her worth. I hope young women draw inspiration from her as they have from Esther over the years.
The only question that remains is how about each of us? Have we faced our “for such a time as this?” How did we respond? What was revealed of your heart? Was your character formed in the process? If that time is yet ahead of you, and I will contend that if we are still living that it is, ask the Lord for wisdom to see it when it arrives that you may be revealed to be like Queen Esther, fit to rule as royalty.
Proceed on.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Return to the Garden
Journal 2006 07 10
Return to the Garden
Clark records that the men woke up to a cold frost. So cold that their water buckets had about three quarters of an inch of ice on them. That is not all bad. The mosquitoes have been so “troublesome” that the men and horses welcomed the hour after sunset when the air temperature cooled to the point that the mosquitoes fled. The actual temperatures are not known since the last thermometer broke during last fall’s descent of the Columbia. The men are not prone to guessing. They only record their observations.
Six canoes were loaded with everything not essential to horse travel and set off downriver. They covered ninety seven miles and pass six of their upstream camps in the process! The rivermen camped near their August 11th camp of last year. That distance is about five times their upstream pace. Do you believe they might have been thinking about getting home?
Captain Clark notes “…we saw great numbers of beaver lying on the Shores in the Sun. wild young Gees and ducks are common in this river. we killed two young gees this evening. I saw several large rattle Snakes in passing the rattle Snake Mountain they were fierce.” No buffalo or elk for this party yet. The rattlesnakes “were fierce.” Oh boy does that bring reality home to me. I hate snakes. Doesn’t it seem like every great adventure movie made must include snakes? Reality is filled with danger and dangerous creatures. How these men traveled through snake infested mountains with none getting bitten is just amazing.
Lewis and his party add elk to the menu tonight and are grateful for the hides that come with them. They returned to the virtual game preserve that was the food rich plains of the Midwest. He describes it like this, “I sent the packhorses on with Sergt. Gass directing hem to halt and encamp at the first timber which proved to be about 7 ms. I retained frazier to assist in skining the Elk. we wer about this time joined by drewer. a large brown bear swam the river near where we were and drewyer shot and killed it. by the time we butchered thes 2 elk and bar it was nearly dark we loaded our horses with the best of the meat and pursud the party and found them encamped as they had been directed in the first timber. we did not reach them until 9 P. M. they informed us that they had seen a very large bear in the plains which had pursued Sergt. Gass and Thomson some distance but their horses enabled them to keep out of it's reach. they were affraid to fire on the bear least their horses should throw them as they were unaccustomed to the gun. we killed five deer 3 Elk and a bear today saw vast herds of buffaloe in the evening below us on the river. we hered them bellowing about us all night. vast assemblages of wolves. saw a large herd of Elk making down the river.” Ho hum, another day’s work on the prairie. Killed and skinned two elk. While skinning the elk a bear came swimming across the river to steal the meat and our best hunter, Drouillard (spelled Drewyer by Lewis) just happens to come back to us, spots the bear coming up on us and kills it. The other men don’t shoot the bears pursuing them because they don’t want to spook the horses. And finally, we are on constant guard for the vast packs of wolves seeking our kill also.
And they must have been feeling rich because of the abundance of bison and elk herds in sight. The buffalo were bellowing all night making it hard to sleep because it was mating season, or the rut, as it is called.
If it weren’t for the hordes of mosquitoes and fierce rattlesnakes the men may have thought they were entering the Garden of God, Eden. For many years, and even today, the Great Plains has been referred to as “The Breadbasket of America” for its ability to produce the crops that continue to feed our nation. It fed and sustained the Corps of Discovery in sumptuous fashion. In fact, Lewis notes that they took the best parts of the elk and bison meat with them. They were confident they would find more animals for the balance of their journey, not less. On the way up the river, Lewis expressed concern over not utilizing all the meat they harvested fearing the day would come when it would no longer be available. Those days were behind them and they knew it.
Over the period of these writings I have not recited Psalm 23 where King David speaks these often memorized verses, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Psalms 23:1-6 MKJV)
I wonder how many of these men began to see that these words were being fulfilled as they anticipated the finish and saw the wonder of what was being accomplished. Surely many of these men had learned to read at the feet of their mothers from the Bible. And many must have gone to bed with these words dancing through their minds, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” I pray we all may lay down with that same sense of wonder and satisfaction this very night.
Proceed on.
Return to the Garden
Clark records that the men woke up to a cold frost. So cold that their water buckets had about three quarters of an inch of ice on them. That is not all bad. The mosquitoes have been so “troublesome” that the men and horses welcomed the hour after sunset when the air temperature cooled to the point that the mosquitoes fled. The actual temperatures are not known since the last thermometer broke during last fall’s descent of the Columbia. The men are not prone to guessing. They only record their observations.
Six canoes were loaded with everything not essential to horse travel and set off downriver. They covered ninety seven miles and pass six of their upstream camps in the process! The rivermen camped near their August 11th camp of last year. That distance is about five times their upstream pace. Do you believe they might have been thinking about getting home?
Captain Clark notes “…we saw great numbers of beaver lying on the Shores in the Sun. wild young Gees and ducks are common in this river. we killed two young gees this evening. I saw several large rattle Snakes in passing the rattle Snake Mountain they were fierce.” No buffalo or elk for this party yet. The rattlesnakes “were fierce.” Oh boy does that bring reality home to me. I hate snakes. Doesn’t it seem like every great adventure movie made must include snakes? Reality is filled with danger and dangerous creatures. How these men traveled through snake infested mountains with none getting bitten is just amazing.
Lewis and his party add elk to the menu tonight and are grateful for the hides that come with them. They returned to the virtual game preserve that was the food rich plains of the Midwest. He describes it like this, “I sent the packhorses on with Sergt. Gass directing hem to halt and encamp at the first timber which proved to be about 7 ms. I retained frazier to assist in skining the Elk. we wer about this time joined by drewer. a large brown bear swam the river near where we were and drewyer shot and killed it. by the time we butchered thes 2 elk and bar it was nearly dark we loaded our horses with the best of the meat and pursud the party and found them encamped as they had been directed in the first timber. we did not reach them until 9 P. M. they informed us that they had seen a very large bear in the plains which had pursued Sergt. Gass and Thomson some distance but their horses enabled them to keep out of it's reach. they were affraid to fire on the bear least their horses should throw them as they were unaccustomed to the gun. we killed five deer 3 Elk and a bear today saw vast herds of buffaloe in the evening below us on the river.
And they must have been feeling rich because of the abundance of bison and elk herds in sight. The buffalo were bellowing all night making it hard to sleep because it was mating season, or the rut, as it is called.
If it weren’t for the hordes of mosquitoes and fierce rattlesnakes the men may have thought they were entering the Garden of God, Eden. For many years, and even today, the Great Plains has been referred to as “The Breadbasket of America” for its ability to produce the crops that continue to feed our nation. It fed and sustained the Corps of Discovery in sumptuous fashion. In fact, Lewis notes that they took the best parts of the elk and bison meat with them. They were confident they would find more animals for the balance of their journey, not less. On the way up the river, Lewis expressed concern over not utilizing all the meat they harvested fearing the day would come when it would no longer be available. Those days were behind them and they knew it.
Over the period of these writings I have not recited Psalm 23 where King David speaks these often memorized verses, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Psalms 23:1-6 MKJV)
I wonder how many of these men began to see that these words were being fulfilled as they anticipated the finish and saw the wonder of what was being accomplished. Surely many of these men had learned to read at the feet of their mothers from the Bible. And many must have gone to bed with these words dancing through their minds, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” I pray we all may lay down with that same sense of wonder and satisfaction this very night.
Proceed on.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Buffalo Burgers
Journal 2006 07 09
Buffalo Burgers
Captain Lewis and his party kill and eat their first buffalo since leaving the drainage of the Missouri last fall. They are cold from a thunderstorm that passed through and drenched them. “…the day continuing rainy and cold I concluded to remain all day.” Captain Lewis had the men stop and make camp for the day to have a feast.
On the way west last September the men pressed on despite the cold rains. How human we all are. Knowing the mission Lewis’ party is on is going to be but a footnote to the success of the Corps of Discovery it pains me to see the men choose to stop for the day and enjoy the long anticipated fat buffalo meal. Don’t most of us do this every day? I know I do. If I know I’m going to dinner at one of my favorite destinations to enjoy one of my favorite meals the meal becomes the focus of the day rather than the work and mission ruling the events of the day.
I wonder why we are loosing our focus as a nation and seem bent on self-gratification as our liberties erode away one by one. Could it be that securing the fuel intended to propel us forward to the goal has become the target of our endeavors robbing us of our God-ordained destiny in the process? Are we seeking shelter from the storm, mosquitoes and everything else unpleasant because we have believed the lie that happiness is our national right leaving the pursuit of life and liberty for third world countries?
Lewis and his party have the prize of traveling to the Pacific Ocean by land in their pocket. Human nature entered in today to stop them short of their normal goals when traveling because the press to “proceed on” wasn’t as pressing. Are we doing the same? I know I do. If I’m motivated things can really move. If I’m filling or killing time, shoot me. I’m worse than worthless.
We need the prize to call us to extraordinary action. And when we are blessed to win the prize we need to change our focus to one of stewarding the prize and delivering it to the place it is to reside with the same focus and motivation that led to its capture. And then we need to ask for the next mission orders that He holds in His hands.
Even though I know the end of this story I am on pins and needles worrying over the splintering of this small force of soldiers who have successfully penetrated the unknown and now are more vulnerable than at any point in the journey to the hostile forces of nature and man derailing their success.
In my mind I’m screaming out, “Go home now. Fast and focused. Like a runner sensing the finish line and its magnetic pull to cross so you can receive your reward. Like a Labrador retriever with a duck in its mouth looking for the approval of the hunter as he drops the bird at his master’s feet. President Jefferson and the rest of the nation only wanted to know the Captains and their men were alive. No CNN reporters imbedded with satellite phones in 1806. “Get home! Get out of harm’s way and go home!” I find myself crying out to these two hundred year old pages today.
They don’t hear me and continue on. Clark and the men at Camp Fortunate have opened the caches and retrieved the canoes they sunk before they departed on horseback last year. The men dry and restore the canoes anticipating continuing their course downstream in the morning. Dividing the force once again as three of the men navigate the canoes downstream and the rest of the party continues over one more mountain ridge to the Yellowstone River before rejoining the rest of the party at the Missouri below the Great Falls.
I’ve diverted from the normal format today to bring home the point that like a bridegroom carrying his bride across the threshold of their new life, if your goal is to bring home that which you’ve pursued, waited for and now stand ready to complete by all means get home. You wouldn’t stop to tour a museum on your way to your honeymoon suite! I find myself wishing that our explorers were working together as one with all their strength aligned to finish strong that they may get home quickly and pronounce their grand victory and receive of crown of glory.
Proceed on.
Buffalo Burgers
Captain Lewis and his party kill and eat their first buffalo since leaving the drainage of the Missouri last fall. They are cold from a thunderstorm that passed through and drenched them. “…the day continuing rainy and cold I concluded to remain all day.” Captain Lewis had the men stop and make camp for the day to have a feast.
On the way west last September the men pressed on despite the cold rains. How human we all are. Knowing the mission Lewis’ party is on is going to be but a footnote to the success of the Corps of Discovery it pains me to see the men choose to stop for the day and enjoy the long anticipated fat buffalo meal. Don’t most of us do this every day? I know I do. If I know I’m going to dinner at one of my favorite destinations to enjoy one of my favorite meals the meal becomes the focus of the day rather than the work and mission ruling the events of the day.
I wonder why we are loosing our focus as a nation and seem bent on self-gratification as our liberties erode away one by one. Could it be that securing the fuel intended to propel us forward to the goal has become the target of our endeavors robbing us of our God-ordained destiny in the process? Are we seeking shelter from the storm, mosquitoes and everything else unpleasant because we have believed the lie that happiness is our national right leaving the pursuit of life and liberty for third world countries?
Lewis and his party have the prize of traveling to the Pacific Ocean by land in their pocket. Human nature entered in today to stop them short of their normal goals when traveling because the press to “proceed on” wasn’t as pressing. Are we doing the same? I know I do. If I’m motivated things can really move. If I’m filling or killing time, shoot me. I’m worse than worthless.
We need the prize to call us to extraordinary action. And when we are blessed to win the prize we need to change our focus to one of stewarding the prize and delivering it to the place it is to reside with the same focus and motivation that led to its capture. And then we need to ask for the next mission orders that He holds in His hands.
Even though I know the end of this story I am on pins and needles worrying over the splintering of this small force of soldiers who have successfully penetrated the unknown and now are more vulnerable than at any point in the journey to the hostile forces of nature and man derailing their success.
In my mind I’m screaming out, “Go home now. Fast and focused. Like a runner sensing the finish line and its magnetic pull to cross so you can receive your reward. Like a Labrador retriever with a duck in its mouth looking for the approval of the hunter as he drops the bird at his master’s feet. President Jefferson and the rest of the nation only wanted to know the Captains and their men were alive. No CNN reporters imbedded with satellite phones in 1806. “Get home! Get out of harm’s way and go home!” I find myself crying out to these two hundred year old pages today.
They don’t hear me and continue on. Clark and the men at Camp Fortunate have opened the caches and retrieved the canoes they sunk before they departed on horseback last year. The men dry and restore the canoes anticipating continuing their course downstream in the morning. Dividing the force once again as three of the men navigate the canoes downstream and the rest of the party continues over one more mountain ridge to the Yellowstone River before rejoining the rest of the party at the Missouri below the Great Falls.
I’ve diverted from the normal format today to bring home the point that like a bridegroom carrying his bride across the threshold of their new life, if your goal is to bring home that which you’ve pursued, waited for and now stand ready to complete by all means get home. You wouldn’t stop to tour a museum on your way to your honeymoon suite! I find myself wishing that our explorers were working together as one with all their strength aligned to finish strong that they may get home quickly and pronounce their grand victory and receive of crown of glory.
Proceed on.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Wagons Ho!
Journal 2006 07 08
Wagons Ho!
Both Lewis and Clark and their separated groups have crossed the Continental Divide and are inside the Louisiana Territory. Yet both are still in lands unknown to Americans. Both are still extremely vulnerable to attack and plans are being formulated to split the men again! Can you imagine being two or three men in the wilderness? Even with the most modern of weapons you could be overrun at some point. John Colter and John Potts would run into that very situation two years after the expedition was over. Potts would be killed and Colter became known as “the Fastest Man in the West” because of the incident. I hope to tell the story somewhere down the line. It is a great one.
Captain Lewis, “…with a view to strike Medicine river and hunt down it to it's mouth in order to procure the necessary skins to make geer, and meat for the three men whom we mean to leave at the falls as none of them are hunters. we halted and dined on Shishequaw Creek R. Fields killed a fine buck and a goat; Josh. Fields saw two buffaloe below us some distance which are the first that have been seen. we saw a great number of deer goats and wolves as we passed through the plains this morning but no Elk or buffaloe. saw some barking squirrils much rejoiced at finding ourselves in the plains of the Missouri which abound with game…”
”the hunters were unsuccessful this evening. I killed a very large and the whitest woolf I have seen—“
Captain Clark, “The road which we have traveled from travellers rest Creek to this place an excellent road. and with only a few trees being cut out of the way would be an excellent waggon road one Mountain of about 4 miles over excepted which would require a little digging The distance is 164 Miles”
I would call this record the first day of westward expansion in North America. Historians may debate me, but don’t we recognize that actions begin as thoughts and thoughts reside in the heart of man? And it is in the heart of man to pursue that which is wild and subdue it. God told Adam in the Garden of Eden to have dominion over the earth and everything in it. And no matter what someone believes, we can usually agree that we are all sons of Adam and hold the same charge that God gave him in the Garden. It is in this mold of ruling and subduing the earth that William Clark pictures in his mind wagons pulled by teams of horses through these rugged mountains to claim land, plant, harvest and raise their families and animals.
Last fall as the men pressed westward they cached items for their return trip to lighten their load thereby easing their burden. This unburdening is a living demonstration of the Biblical admonition to “…throw(ing) off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us,…” (Hebrews 12:1 ISV) With the hard part of the journey over, Clark’s men camped this night at the place they named Camp Fortunate last year and opened a cache knowing one of their favorite pleasures of civilization awaited, tobacco!
“9 Miles to our encampment of 17 Augt. at which place we Sunk our Canoes & buried Some articles, as before mentioned the most of the Party with me being Chewers of Tobacco become So impatient to be chewing it that they Scercely gave themselves time to take their Saddles off their horses before they were off to the deposit.”
Just as William Clark was able to foresee wagons on an ancient horse and foot path in the wilderness so should we be able to see things in our natural world that are but a whisper of places and things that God would have man travel to fulfill his destiny on earth. What are we looking for today? Do we see an ancient path poking through mountains and meadows? The challenge for us today is unchanged. See that which is unknown and make it known. Find something of great value in the common and refine it. Make the discovery useful to mankind. Rule. May God grant us His vision to see the future on the road ahead and live accordingly.
Proceed on.
Wagons Ho!
Both Lewis and Clark and their separated groups have crossed the Continental Divide and are inside the Louisiana Territory. Yet both are still in lands unknown to Americans. Both are still extremely vulnerable to attack and plans are being formulated to split the men again! Can you imagine being two or three men in the wilderness? Even with the most modern of weapons you could be overrun at some point. John Colter and John Potts would run into that very situation two years after the expedition was over. Potts would be killed and Colter became known as “the Fastest Man in the West” because of the incident. I hope to tell the story somewhere down the line. It is a great one.
Captain Lewis, “…with a view to strike Medicine river and hunt down it to it's mouth in order to procure the necessary skins to make geer, and meat for the three men whom we mean to leave at the falls as none of them are hunters. we halted and dined on Shishequaw Creek R. Fields killed a fine buck and a goat; Josh. Fields saw two buffaloe below us some distance which are the first that have been seen. we saw a great number of deer goats and wolves as we passed through the plains this morning but no Elk or buffaloe. saw some barking squirrils much rejoiced at finding ourselves in the plains of the Missouri which abound with game…”
”the hunters were unsuccessful this evening. I killed a very large and the whitest woolf I have seen—“
Captain Clark, “The road which we have traveled from travellers rest Creek to this place an excellent road. and with only a few trees being cut out of the way would be an excellent waggon road one Mountain of about 4 miles over excepted which would require a little digging The distance is 164 Miles”
I would call this record the first day of westward expansion in North America. Historians may debate me, but don’t we recognize that actions begin as thoughts and thoughts reside in the heart of man? And it is in the heart of man to pursue that which is wild and subdue it. God told Adam in the Garden of Eden to have dominion over the earth and everything in it. And no matter what someone believes, we can usually agree that we are all sons of Adam and hold the same charge that God gave him in the Garden. It is in this mold of ruling and subduing the earth that William Clark pictures in his mind wagons pulled by teams of horses through these rugged mountains to claim land, plant, harvest and raise their families and animals.
Last fall as the men pressed westward they cached items for their return trip to lighten their load thereby easing their burden. This unburdening is a living demonstration of the Biblical admonition to “…throw(ing) off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us,…” (Hebrews 12:1 ISV) With the hard part of the journey over, Clark’s men camped this night at the place they named Camp Fortunate last year and opened a cache knowing one of their favorite pleasures of civilization awaited, tobacco!
“9 Miles to our encampment of 17 Augt. at which place we Sunk our Canoes & buried Some articles, as before mentioned the most of the Party with me being Chewers of Tobacco become So impatient to be chewing it that they Scercely gave themselves time to take their Saddles off their horses before they were off to the deposit.”
Just as William Clark was able to foresee wagons on an ancient horse and foot path in the wilderness so should we be able to see things in our natural world that are but a whisper of places and things that God would have man travel to fulfill his destiny on earth. What are we looking for today? Do we see an ancient path poking through mountains and meadows? The challenge for us today is unchanged. See that which is unknown and make it known. Find something of great value in the common and refine it. Make the discovery useful to mankind. Rule. May God grant us His vision to see the future on the road ahead and live accordingly.
Proceed on.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Back in the USA
Journal 2006 07 07
Back in the USA
Please keep in mind that two very different records are kept until the two parties meet again on the Missouri. In trying to keep this reasonably concise I will do my best to draw from both missions.
Today I’m most surprised by the increasing prose of William Clark. He is journeying in a broad valley just east of the Continental Divide. Filled with clover, lakes and beaver dams Clark describes it like this, “This extensive vally Surround with covered with snow is extreemly fertile covered esculent plants &c and the Creeks which pass through it contains emence numbers of beaver &c. I now take my leave of this butifull extensive vally which I call the hot spring Vally, and behold one less extensive and much more rugid on Willards Creek for near 12 miles in length.” A hot spring is discovered which is so hot meat cooks in about half and hour! No hot tubbing tonight. The men are fascinated by it still the same. It is believed to be Jackson Hot Spring and has been measured at a temperature of 134 degrees!
William Clark’s record of the day indicates a seasoning of the poetic from his friend Meriwether Lewis. While his friend Lewis records his crossing of the Continental Divide and re-entrance into land owned by the United States in a typically Clark-like manner, “…passing the dividing ridge betwen the waters of the Columbia and Missouri rivers at ¼ of a mile. from this gap which is low and an easy ascent on the W. side the fort moun-tain bears North Eaast, and appears to be distant about 20 Miles.”
Back in the United States of America! With the Louisiana Purchase completed just before they set out, Jefferson’s desire for westward expansion is coming nearer to reality. Today we would be in constant contact with the Captains via live video and audio feeds into secured seats of our government. Imagine Lewis’ excitement as he realized they had just crossed a point where the probability for successful completion just increased many times over. Yet we are left to wonder about his thoughtful responses to the moment.
We do find out that the great hunter of the Corps, Drouillard, kills three beaver. Lewis tells us the third beaver was wounded and turned on Drouillard biting him on the knee. Think of all the animals shot, grizzly bears encountered and hungry wolves in winter tracking their bison harvests. Yet a large member of the lowly rodent family claims first blood for the animal kingdom. A beaver bite today would be nothing to trifle with. A beaver bite two hundred years ago could mean death. Rabies or infection would have been Drouillard’s worst worries. It might have even been difficult to determine if any structural knee damage had been done by the large sharp teeth that can gnaw through a tree. At least the men were traveling on horseback and Drouillard would not have to walk.
“A man's heart plans his way, but Jehovah directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 MKJV)
Could these men possibly have imagined the days of this journey? Would the men who volunteered back in St. Louis do so again knowing the hardship they would endure completing this mission? This ancient proverb of Solomon puts a lot of our wonder and worry in place. And Christian leader Dennis Peacocke says it in more modern language. “You have to do what only you can do so God can do what only He can do.”
So we make our plans, set out on a course and see what purposes God has in store.
Proceed on.
Back in the USA
Please keep in mind that two very different records are kept until the two parties meet again on the Missouri. In trying to keep this reasonably concise I will do my best to draw from both missions.
Today I’m most surprised by the increasing prose of William Clark. He is journeying in a broad valley just east of the Continental Divide. Filled with clover, lakes and beaver dams Clark describes it like this, “This extensive vally Surround with covered with snow is extreemly fertile covered esculent plants &c and the Creeks which pass through it contains emence numbers of beaver &c. I now take my leave of this butifull extensive vally which I call the hot spring Vally, and behold one less extensive and much more rugid on Willards Creek for near 12 miles in length.” A hot spring is discovered which is so hot meat cooks in about half and hour! No hot tubbing tonight. The men are fascinated by it still the same. It is believed to be Jackson Hot Spring and has been measured at a temperature of 134 degrees!
William Clark’s record of the day indicates a seasoning of the poetic from his friend Meriwether Lewis. While his friend Lewis records his crossing of the Continental Divide and re-entrance into land owned by the United States in a typically Clark-like manner, “…passing the dividing ridge betwen the waters of the Columbia and Missouri rivers at ¼ of a mile. from this gap which is low and an easy ascent on the W. side the fort moun-tain bears North Eaast, and appears to be distant about 20 Miles.”
Back in the United States of America! With the Louisiana Purchase completed just before they set out, Jefferson’s desire for westward expansion is coming nearer to reality. Today we would be in constant contact with the Captains via live video and audio feeds into secured seats of our government. Imagine Lewis’ excitement as he realized they had just crossed a point where the probability for successful completion just increased many times over. Yet we are left to wonder about his thoughtful responses to the moment.
We do find out that the great hunter of the Corps, Drouillard, kills three beaver. Lewis tells us the third beaver was wounded and turned on Drouillard biting him on the knee. Think of all the animals shot, grizzly bears encountered and hungry wolves in winter tracking their bison harvests. Yet a large member of the lowly rodent family claims first blood for the animal kingdom. A beaver bite today would be nothing to trifle with. A beaver bite two hundred years ago could mean death. Rabies or infection would have been Drouillard’s worst worries. It might have even been difficult to determine if any structural knee damage had been done by the large sharp teeth that can gnaw through a tree. At least the men were traveling on horseback and Drouillard would not have to walk.
“A man's heart plans his way, but Jehovah directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 MKJV)
Could these men possibly have imagined the days of this journey? Would the men who volunteered back in St. Louis do so again knowing the hardship they would endure completing this mission? This ancient proverb of Solomon puts a lot of our wonder and worry in place. And Christian leader Dennis Peacocke says it in more modern language. “You have to do what only you can do so God can do what only He can do.”
So we make our plans, set out on a course and see what purposes God has in store.
Proceed on.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Wife Mother and Guide
Journal 2006 07 06
Wife, Mother and Guide
“…the Indian woman wife to Shabono informed me that she had been in this plain frequently and knew it well that the Creek which we decended was a branch of Wisdom river and when we assended the higher part of the plain we would discover a gap in the mountains in our direction to the Canoes, and when we arived at that gap we would See a high point of a mountain covered with snow in our direction the canoes. we proceeded on 1 mile and Crossd. a large Creek from the right which heads in a Snow Mountain and fish Creek over which there was a road thro' a gap.” William Clark
“I observe the appearance of old buffalow roads and some heads on this part of the mountain.” William Clark
The appearance of buffalo sign, roads and skulls, must have been a welcome sight. Have you ever drooled in anticipation over a prime cut of steak served up at a premium steakhouse? That is how the men must have seen bison meat. Let’s put it in perspective. They haven’t eaten any dog meat since they found deer. And they will eat elk and bison over deer if they have a choice.
Captain Lewis’ record for this part of the expedition are not the full texts he normally writes. They are notes and records of distances and compass bearings with observations interspersed. Evidently Lewis would record enough to remind him of the events of the day as he recorded those events in the larger, official version of the expedition record. Steady William Clark used an economy of work and recorded what was necessary the first time requiring less work in camp.
If you looked on a map you would find the Captains are almost the same distance east separated by about one hundred and twenty miles. Captain Lewis is north of Captain Clark. Captain Lewis and his party are in the Nevada Valley at N46 58’ 31” W113 5’ 5” and just over 4,200 feet in elevation. The gap spoken of above is Big Hole Pass in Montana. On a roadmap it is about thirty miles west of Dillon, MT off Highway 15 and about fifty-five miles southeast of Butte, MT. For those GPS geeks like me the location is N45 19’ 56” W113 14’ 14”. For those seriously geeky map and GPS nerds the Universal Transverse Mercator Grid (UTM) is 12T 0324700 5022000. Big Hole Pass is high at just under 7,500 feet, or 2255 meters for the rest of the world. The Corps of Discovery used the Latitude and Longitude system still most common in mapping the world. Our military forces use a grid very similar to the UTM and, like the metric system of measuring distances, while less common to our understanding is easier to use. The GPS system in your handheld device, boat or vehicle will allow for choices of grids that are sure to confuse you and get you lost if you don’t understand their purpose. Stick with latitude and longitude and UTM if your maps are set up for it.
For the third time during the expedition Sacagawea becomes their confident guide and leads them correctly to their next destination. Wouldn’t we love to know more about this young mother? Volumes have been written. Most is speculation. Her place in history is unique. No teenage mother with her baby accompanied Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellan, Shackleford or Sir Edmund Hillary. We do have highly educated young women piloting spacecraft today. But no teenagers who are married to the Martian interpreter! Certainly no teenagers carrying and infant in a spacesuit while performing a space walk like our shuttle astronauts are doing this very day!
My thought this morning lends itself to what do we really know about the heart of men and women. And how do we find out?
“Will not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.”
(Psalms 44:21 ASV)
I pray for each of us today that He would put us in the place where His purpose and destiny over our lives are made known. That crucible where gold and silver are separated from the common dross. That place where our worth is revealed.
Like Sacagawea, the young teenage prisoner who was given as a wife, became a mother and took part in an adventure uncommon to man.
Proceed on.
Wife, Mother and Guide
“…the Indian woman wife to Shabono informed me that she had been in this plain frequently and knew it well that the Creek which we decended was a branch of Wisdom river and when we assended the higher part of the plain we would discover a gap in the mountains in our direction to the Canoes, and when we arived at that gap we would See a high point of a mountain covered with snow in our direction the canoes. we proceeded on 1 mile and Crossd. a large Creek from the right which heads in a Snow Mountain and fish Creek over which there was a road thro' a gap.” William Clark
“I observe the appearance of old buffalow roads and some heads on this part of the mountain.” William Clark
The appearance of buffalo sign, roads and skulls, must have been a welcome sight. Have you ever drooled in anticipation over a prime cut of steak served up at a premium steakhouse? That is how the men must have seen bison meat. Let’s put it in perspective. They haven’t eaten any dog meat since they found deer. And they will eat elk and bison over deer if they have a choice.
Captain Lewis’ record for this part of the expedition are not the full texts he normally writes. They are notes and records of distances and compass bearings with observations interspersed. Evidently Lewis would record enough to remind him of the events of the day as he recorded those events in the larger, official version of the expedition record. Steady William Clark used an economy of work and recorded what was necessary the first time requiring less work in camp.
If you looked on a map you would find the Captains are almost the same distance east separated by about one hundred and twenty miles. Captain Lewis is north of Captain Clark. Captain Lewis and his party are in the Nevada Valley at N46 58’ 31” W113 5’ 5” and just over 4,200 feet in elevation. The gap spoken of above is Big Hole Pass in Montana. On a roadmap it is about thirty miles west of Dillon, MT off Highway 15 and about fifty-five miles southeast of Butte, MT. For those GPS geeks like me the location is N45 19’ 56” W113 14’ 14”. For those seriously geeky map and GPS nerds the Universal Transverse Mercator Grid (UTM) is 12T 0324700 5022000. Big Hole Pass is high at just under 7,500 feet, or 2255 meters for the rest of the world. The Corps of Discovery used the Latitude and Longitude system still most common in mapping the world. Our military forces use a grid very similar to the UTM and, like the metric system of measuring distances, while less common to our understanding is easier to use. The GPS system in your handheld device, boat or vehicle will allow for choices of grids that are sure to confuse you and get you lost if you don’t understand their purpose. Stick with latitude and longitude and UTM if your maps are set up for it.
For the third time during the expedition Sacagawea becomes their confident guide and leads them correctly to their next destination. Wouldn’t we love to know more about this young mother? Volumes have been written. Most is speculation. Her place in history is unique. No teenage mother with her baby accompanied Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellan, Shackleford or Sir Edmund Hillary. We do have highly educated young women piloting spacecraft today. But no teenagers who are married to the Martian interpreter! Certainly no teenagers carrying and infant in a spacesuit while performing a space walk like our shuttle astronauts are doing this very day!
My thought this morning lends itself to what do we really know about the heart of men and women. And how do we find out?
“Will not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.”
(Psalms 44:21 ASV)
I pray for each of us today that He would put us in the place where His purpose and destiny over our lives are made known. That crucible where gold and silver are separated from the common dross. That place where our worth is revealed.
Like Sacagawea, the young teenage prisoner who was given as a wife, became a mother and took part in an adventure uncommon to man.
Proceed on.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Finding a Better Way
Journal 2006 07 05
Finding a Better Way
“Sent out several men to examine the road. Shields returned at dark and informed me that the best road turned up the hill from the creek 3 Miles higher up, and appeared to be a plain beaten parth. as this rout of the Oat lash shoots can be followed it will evidently Shorten our rout at least 2 days and as the indians informed me last fall a much better rout than the one we came out. at all events I am deturmined to make the attempt and follow their trail if possible if I can prosue it my rout will be nearer and much better than the one we Came from the Shoshones, & if I should not be able to follow their road; our rout can't possibly be much wors. The hunters killed two deer this evening. The after part of the day we only come 8 miles makeing a total of 20 Miles—. Shannon Came up about Sunset haveing found his tomahawk.” Captain Clark’s Journal.
“…at all events I am deturmined to make the attempt and follow their trail if possible…if I should not be able to follow their road; our rout can't possibly be much wors…”
“It can’t possibly be any worse!” Ever utter those words? I have. Many times I’m sure. And sure enough, what happens? Things get worse!
William Clark is looking for the best route to the Yellowstone River. Last fall the Expedition was late in the season and wary of getting stuck in these “terrible” mountains for the winter. They had a hard time convincing any Shoshone Indians to guide them over the Continental Divide. Only Old Toby was willing and able and volunteered. They had no choice but to go Toby’s way. The way was rough. Based on Clark’s comments here he must have wondered last fall if there wasn’t a better way through the mountains than the path they took.
Bottom line. There was no easy way. So when our day, maybe even our way, seems the worst possible it may be the only way! Pleasant thought, isn’t it? Human nature mandates that we seek a better and easier way. Divine Providence may require something else for the purposes of Heaven to be fulfilled.
“Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?”
(Ecclesiastes 7:13 MKJV)
So let’s walk the path God has marked out for us before the foundations of the earth were formed. It may be hard but we already know the answer to the question, “Could it possibly be any worse?”
Proceed on.
Finding a Better Way
“Sent out several men to examine the road. Shields returned at dark and informed me that the best road turned up the hill from the creek 3 Miles higher up, and appeared to be a plain beaten parth. as this rout of the Oat lash shoots can be followed it will evidently Shorten our rout at least 2 days and as the indians informed me last fall a much better rout than the one we came out. at all events I am deturmined to make the attempt and follow their trail if possible if I can prosue it my rout will be nearer and much better than the one we Came from the Shoshones, & if I should not be able to follow their road; our rout can't possibly be much wors. The hunters killed two deer this evening. The after part of the day we only come 8 miles makeing a total of 20 Miles—. Shannon Came up about Sunset haveing found his tomahawk.” Captain Clark’s Journal.
“…at all events I am deturmined to make the attempt and follow their trail if possible…if I should not be able to follow their road; our rout can't possibly be much wors…”
“It can’t possibly be any worse!” Ever utter those words? I have. Many times I’m sure. And sure enough, what happens? Things get worse!
William Clark is looking for the best route to the Yellowstone River. Last fall the Expedition was late in the season and wary of getting stuck in these “terrible” mountains for the winter. They had a hard time convincing any Shoshone Indians to guide them over the Continental Divide. Only Old Toby was willing and able and volunteered. They had no choice but to go Toby’s way. The way was rough. Based on Clark’s comments here he must have wondered last fall if there wasn’t a better way through the mountains than the path they took.
Bottom line. There was no easy way. So when our day, maybe even our way, seems the worst possible it may be the only way! Pleasant thought, isn’t it? Human nature mandates that we seek a better and easier way. Divine Providence may require something else for the purposes of Heaven to be fulfilled.
“Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?”
(Ecclesiastes 7:13 MKJV)
So let’s walk the path God has marked out for us before the foundations of the earth were formed. It may be hard but we already know the answer to the question, “Could it possibly be any worse?”
Proceed on.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Independence Day 1806
Journal 2006 07 04
Independence Day 1806
This is the second Independence Day celebrated in the vast western half of the North American continent. The significance of marking a day when a nation was born in a land where only tribal governments existed seems prophetic. William Clark and his party covered thirty miles this day, but stopped for an early supper and celebration recorded in Clark’s journal this way, ”This being the day of the decleration of Independence of the United States and a Day commonly Scelebrated by my Country I had every disposition to Selebrate this day and therefore halted early and partook of a Sumptious Dinner of a fat Saddle of Venison and Mush of Cows (roots) after Dinner we proceeded on…”
Lewis writes, “I now ordered the horses saddled smoked a pipe with these friendly people and at noon bid them adieu….these affectionate people our guides betrayed every emmotion of unfeigned regret at seperating from us…” Lewis remembers the moment and his fondness of these young Nez Perce braves who have honored their tribes by their service. His men made thirteen miles and there is no record of any observance of an Independence Day celebration. His desire this day was to send the Indian guides out with a generous portion of meat and supplies in a token of gratitude.
I believe we see today a glimpse of why the Captains shared command was powerful and led to the great success of this expedition. Had the Captains been together I’m convinced the record would show a celebration marking Independence Day and honoring their faithful friends and guides.
Work and accomplishment tends to mirror the leader in any endeavor. The unique shared command of the Corps of Discovery allows a level of leadership rarely seen in the history of mankind because it reflects the best qualities of both leaders. An amazing feat really.
Today, two hundred thirty years after the event, we remember and celebrate the day our forefathers lay their lives, fortunes and reputations on the altar of liberty as a sacrifice to our freedom today. We are told to remember. That model of remembrance is laid out for us in the Old and New Testaments of the Judeo-Christian feasts and celebrations commanded by God. Easter and its predecessor Passover are most easily seen in our modern world. Holy Communion is a remembrance commanded that we might frequently be reminded of the daily redemption offered in the body and blood of the Lamb of God. In our nation we remember events of significance to our nation. In Communion we were told by Jesus “to do this in remembrance of Me.”
Great sacrifice requires remembrance. We celebrate Independence Day as victory. It really was a celebration of the courageous declaration that victory was worthy of the sacrifice. Victory was achieved later. Jesus modeled Communion as a declaration of His pending victory of sin and death. Victory was achieved three days later.
So, no matter who we are with, where we are and how busy we are we are called, commanded, to celebrate the great sacrifices given to achieve the unparalleled freedom we know today. Let’s remember and then live a life worthy of the sacrifice.
Proceed on.
Independence Day 1806
This is the second Independence Day celebrated in the vast western half of the North American continent. The significance of marking a day when a nation was born in a land where only tribal governments existed seems prophetic. William Clark and his party covered thirty miles this day, but stopped for an early supper and celebration recorded in Clark’s journal this way, ”This being the day of the decleration of Independence of the United States and a Day commonly Scelebrated by my Country I had every disposition to Selebrate this day and therefore halted early and partook of a Sumptious Dinner of a fat Saddle of Venison and Mush of Cows (roots) after Dinner we proceeded on…”
Lewis writes, “I now ordered the horses saddled smoked a pipe with these friendly people and at noon bid them adieu….these affectionate people our guides betrayed every emmotion of unfeigned regret at seperating from us…” Lewis remembers the moment and his fondness of these young Nez Perce braves who have honored their tribes by their service. His men made thirteen miles and there is no record of any observance of an Independence Day celebration. His desire this day was to send the Indian guides out with a generous portion of meat and supplies in a token of gratitude.
I believe we see today a glimpse of why the Captains shared command was powerful and led to the great success of this expedition. Had the Captains been together I’m convinced the record would show a celebration marking Independence Day and honoring their faithful friends and guides.
Work and accomplishment tends to mirror the leader in any endeavor. The unique shared command of the Corps of Discovery allows a level of leadership rarely seen in the history of mankind because it reflects the best qualities of both leaders. An amazing feat really.
Today, two hundred thirty years after the event, we remember and celebrate the day our forefathers lay their lives, fortunes and reputations on the altar of liberty as a sacrifice to our freedom today. We are told to remember. That model of remembrance is laid out for us in the Old and New Testaments of the Judeo-Christian feasts and celebrations commanded by God. Easter and its predecessor Passover are most easily seen in our modern world. Holy Communion is a remembrance commanded that we might frequently be reminded of the daily redemption offered in the body and blood of the Lamb of God. In our nation we remember events of significance to our nation. In Communion we were told by Jesus “to do this in remembrance of Me.”
Great sacrifice requires remembrance. We celebrate Independence Day as victory. It really was a celebration of the courageous declaration that victory was worthy of the sacrifice. Victory was achieved later. Jesus modeled Communion as a declaration of His pending victory of sin and death. Victory was achieved three days later.
So, no matter who we are with, where we are and how busy we are we are called, commanded, to celebrate the great sacrifices given to achieve the unparalleled freedom we know today. Let’s remember and then live a life worthy of the sacrifice.
Proceed on.
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