April 12, 2006
The Surprising Half of Lewis and Clark
Landon Jones
Author and Former Editor of People and Money
Minutes of the 28th Meeting of the 64th Year
President Bill Haynes called the meeting to order at 10:14 AM. John Marks led the invocation, with 95 members in attendance.
Gerry Berkelhammer read the Minutes of the April 5th meeting.
Barney Barnhart introduced his guest, Stanley Tarr. Bob Waltman introduced his wife, Katy, a visitor. Tom Cawley introduced Jack Reilly, a guest who is on the waiting list.
President Haynes called for a minute of silence in remembrance of Ben Camper who died on Sunday. His memorial service will take place on Tuesday at the Methodist Church in Princeton. He called attention to the 911 telephone that goes to the campus and Borough police. He reminded everyone that the Old Guard picture will take place immediately following the meeting. Bill Bonini said the last picture was taken 60 years ago. Neckties were available for those members sartorially challenged. Next week’s speaker will be Gilbert Rozman, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University.
Henry King introduced the speaker, Landon (Lanny) Jones. Lanny is a graduate of Princeton University and is a former editor of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, managing editor of People and Money magazines. He spoke to us about his most recent book – William Clark and the Shaping of the West.
It was a challenge for Lanny to summarize the 377 pages of his book in a 45 minute talk, and I will summarize it in three or four minutes. It was surprising to him that his book is the first biography of William Clark. He made the point that Clark might have been more famous if he had not gone on the expedition he co-lead with Meriwether Lewis which over-shadowed who he was. Jones examines the expedition and views Clark as a stable, dependable and consistent counterweight to the more romantic, moody and often rash Lewis.
Both Lewis and Clark were very bookish and wrote detailed journals of their expedition – more than one million words – that is an amazing resource for scholars. We know about the expedition in incredible detail. As an example, he referred to a section in the journals describing a day exactly 200 years ago when the expedition is returning and is on the Columbia River; they are wet and cold; they are pulling their canoes against the current; they are taking overland portages of up to 300 yards with several tons of gear in the canoes. The Indians steal Lewis’s dog, and the men chase the Indians for two miles to retrieve the dog. Yet in spite of all these difficulties, Lewis finds time to write in detail about the plants and trees they see.
The journals describe in detail some of the characters on the trip, for example, Sacagawea who, quipped Jones, became famous as the first woman that American men asked for directions.
The prevailing idea at the time was that west of the Mississippi was an empty wilderness and that it was America’s destiny to expand to the Pacific Ocean, but this was a myth as the land was crowded with native-American people. Lewis and Clark could not have survived on their expedition without the kindness of the Indians.
Clark was the ninth of ten children born into a Virginia planter family. Jones makes the point that this helped to form Clark’s ability to get along with people. He disliked giving offence unnecessarily. When he became in charge of all the Indians west of the Mississippi and the removal of the eastern Indians, it was his ability to convince them that he was on their side that led the Indians to agree to giving up their lands.
Lewis dies by suicide three years after the expedition, and the question arises of what to do with the journals. Lewis was supposed to publish them, but he had done nothing. The job is given to Nicholas Biddle, a Philadelphia aristocrat who was brilliant and went to the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 10 and graduated from the College of New Jersey at the age of 15. At one point in the editing process, Biddle noticed that Lewis and Clark were paid differently and asked Clark about this. This was because Clark was a lieutenant, and the army never approved his promotion to captain. However, this was kept secret from the men on the expedition, and Lewis and Clark considered themselves equal. Clark asked Biddle not to divulge this, and he agreed. Biddle completed his work and did not take any compensation. Only 1500 copies were printed.
Life on the frontier was hard and bred hardy men. Jones tells the story of Russel Farnham who was asked to deliver money from the West to John Jacob Astor in New York during the war of 1812. The problem was how to get there. Farnham goes west, takes a boat to Siberia, goes on foot across Siberia to St. Petersburg and then takes a boat to Copenhagen, takes a boat to the West Indies, another boat to New York and delivers the money to Astor.
Jones briefly talked about Clark’s role in the Indian wars. Americans viewed Indians as noble savages who could not cope with white society. This was wrong; the Indians were excellent agriculturalists and could certainly have lived side by side, but the Americans wanted the land and removed them. As superintendent of Indian Affairs and later governor of the Missouri territory, Clark was a critical figure in decisions that shaped western policies. Clark oversaw the expropriation of Indian lands by treaty and war, yet at times was conflicted by his own sense of fair play which led him at times to dig into his own pocket to help hungry and cold Indians on the move. I recommend the book.
Time for only one question as the meeting was adjourned early at 11:20 for the members’ photograph.
Respectfully submitted
Henry King
Gerry Berkelhammer read the Minutes of the April 5th meeting.
Barney Barnhart introduced his guest, Stanley Tarr. Bob Waltman introduced his wife, Katy, a visitor. Tom Cawley introduced Jack Reilly, a guest who is on the waiting list.
President Haynes called for a minute of silence in remembrance of Ben Camper who died on Sunday. His memorial service will take place on Tuesday at the Methodist Church in Princeton. He called attention to the 911 telephone that goes to the campus and Borough police. He reminded everyone that the Old Guard picture will take place immediately following the meeting. Bill Bonini said the last picture was taken 60 years ago. Neckties were available for those members sartorially challenged. Next week’s speaker will be Gilbert Rozman, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University.
Henry King introduced the speaker, Landon (Lanny) Jones. Lanny is a graduate of Princeton University and is a former editor of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, managing editor of People and Money magazines. He spoke to us about his most recent book – William Clark and the Shaping of the West.
It was a challenge for Lanny to summarize the 377 pages of his book in a 45 minute talk, and I will summarize it in three or four minutes. It was surprising to him that his book is the first biography of William Clark. He made the point that Clark might have been more famous if he had not gone on the expedition he co-lead with Meriwether Lewis which over-shadowed who he was. Jones examines the expedition and views Clark as a stable, dependable and consistent counterweight to the more romantic, moody and often rash Lewis.
Both Lewis and Clark were very bookish and wrote detailed journals of their expedition – more than one million words – that is an amazing resource for scholars. We know about the expedition in incredible detail. As an example, he referred to a section in the journals describing a day exactly 200 years ago when the expedition is returning and is on the Columbia River; they are wet and cold; they are pulling their canoes against the current; they are taking overland portages of up to 300 yards with several tons of gear in the canoes. The Indians steal Lewis’s dog, and the men chase the Indians for two miles to retrieve the dog. Yet in spite of all these difficulties, Lewis finds time to write in detail about the plants and trees they see.
The journals describe in detail some of the characters on the trip, for example, Sacagawea who, quipped Jones, became famous as the first woman that American men asked for directions.
The prevailing idea at the time was that west of the Mississippi was an empty wilderness and that it was America’s destiny to expand to the Pacific Ocean, but this was a myth as the land was crowded with native-American people. Lewis and Clark could not have survived on their expedition without the kindness of the Indians.
Clark was the ninth of ten children born into a Virginia planter family. Jones makes the point that this helped to form Clark’s ability to get along with people. He disliked giving offence unnecessarily. When he became in charge of all the Indians west of the Mississippi and the removal of the eastern Indians, it was his ability to convince them that he was on their side that led the Indians to agree to giving up their lands.
Lewis dies by suicide three years after the expedition, and the question arises of what to do with the journals. Lewis was supposed to publish them, but he had done nothing. The job is given to Nicholas Biddle, a Philadelphia aristocrat who was brilliant and went to the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 10 and graduated from the College of New Jersey at the age of 15. At one point in the editing process, Biddle noticed that Lewis and Clark were paid differently and asked Clark about this. This was because Clark was a lieutenant, and the army never approved his promotion to captain. However, this was kept secret from the men on the expedition, and Lewis and Clark considered themselves equal. Clark asked Biddle not to divulge this, and he agreed. Biddle completed his work and did not take any compensation. Only 1500 copies were printed.
Life on the frontier was hard and bred hardy men. Jones tells the story of Russel Farnham who was asked to deliver money from the West to John Jacob Astor in New York during the war of 1812. The problem was how to get there. Farnham goes west, takes a boat to Siberia, goes on foot across Siberia to St. Petersburg and then takes a boat to Copenhagen, takes a boat to the West Indies, another boat to New York and delivers the money to Astor.
Jones briefly talked about Clark’s role in the Indian wars. Americans viewed Indians as noble savages who could not cope with white society. This was wrong; the Indians were excellent agriculturalists and could certainly have lived side by side, but the Americans wanted the land and removed them. As superintendent of Indian Affairs and later governor of the Missouri territory, Clark was a critical figure in decisions that shaped western policies. Clark oversaw the expropriation of Indian lands by treaty and war, yet at times was conflicted by his own sense of fair play which led him at times to dig into his own pocket to help hungry and cold Indians on the move. I recommend the book.
Time for only one question as the meeting was adjourned early at 11:20 for the members’ photograph.
Respectfully submitted
Henry King