FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  June 7, 2004

CONTACT:  Jeff Mammenga, (605) 773-6000

Lewis and Clark featured in State Historical Society journal

PIERRE, S.D.—The contributions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that continue to define South Dakota and the Great Plains region today are explored in the Spring 2004 issue of South Dakota History, the official journal of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

            In “‘To acquire what knolege you can’: The Scientific Contributions of Lewis and Clark,” Robert McCracken Peck examines the impact of the expedition’s plant and animal discoveries on society’s knowledge of the natural world. Peck is a senior fellow and librarian of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

            Joni L. Kinsey, associate professor in the School of Art and Art History at the University of Iowa, addresses the artistic impact of the Lewis and Clark expedition in her article, “‘I wished for the pencil of Salvator Rosa’: The Artistic Legacy of Lewis and Clark.” Kinsey asserts that even though the expedition brought back few images, those that do exist have had a broad artistic impact.

            “Telling Lewis and Clark Stories: Historical Novelists as Storytellers,” by Richard W. Etulain, professor emeritus of history at the University of New Mexico, explores the problems of fictionalizing the complex story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In his article, Etulain examines both historical and contemporary works.

            Corps of Discovery member Patrick Gass, whose journal became the first published account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is profiled in “Dakota Images.”

            All three articles were presented by the authors at the 2003 annual meeting of the State Historical Society. These and other papers from the conference, which featured eminent Lewis and Clark scholars from across the country, will be published in book form. Finding Lewis and Clark: Old Trails, New Directions will be available from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press in August.

            South Dakota History is a benefit of membership in the South Dakota State Historical Society, an office of the Department of Tourism and State Development. Individual copies of the magazine and memberships may be purchased from the society at 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone, (605) 773-3458; Web site, www.sdhistory.org.

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