Next In Their Footsteps event set

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop has announced the next In Their Footsteps free speaker series event. Identification and Preservation of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau’s Grave will be shared by Michael Hanley and Roger Wendlick on Sunday, April 23, at 1:00 p.m.

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was born February 11, 1805 to Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea. They spent the following winter at Fort Clatsop. After a life filled with travel, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau died on May 16, 1866 at Inskip Station at the hamlet of Danner in eastern Oregon’s Malheur County.

Michael Hanley, a rancher, illustrator and author of several books about eastern Oregon, was instrumental in identifying and preserving the grave of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau in the 1960s. Roger Wendlick spent decades acquiring the premier collection of literature related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. His collection is now at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Hanley and Wendlick were very involved in the refurbishing and rededication of the gravesite in 2000. Both historians are delightful and knowledgeable storytellers.

This monthly Sunday forum is sponsored by the Lewis & Clark National Park Association and the park. These programs are held in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center and are free of charge.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471, or check out http://www.nps.gov/lewi, or Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on Facebook.