Hands-On History Planned In Clarkston

This summer, an event tied to commemoration of the Lewis and Clark expedition could boost tourism and economic development in the Lewiston-Clarkston valley.

Work is in full swing on the “Lewis & Clark Experience,” planned for July 26-27 at what is now a weed-choked 20-acre lot in Clarkston, Wash.

Organizers plan to build authentic frontier and Indian villages there and offer visitors hands-on history lessons.

They also plan premiere showings of portions of a documentary on explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their Corps of Discovery, which explored the West early in the 19th century.

Beyond the two-day events, Lewiston and Clarkston residents are trying to coordinate local and state efforts geared toward the expedition’s bicentennial from 2003 through 2006.

Several regional representatives recently attended a conference in Nebraska with organizers of similar efforts in the eight other states traversed by the Corps of Discovery.