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.