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LEWIS AND CLARK
BICENTENNIAL:
Photo Gallery Link to
Lewis & Clark Explorer Train
Lewis & Clark
Explorer Train – LAST SEASON – June 3 thru Oct. 3, 2005. Take the Lewis &
Clark Explorer Train on a scenic ride from Portland to Astoria and back.
Roll past Lewis & Clark Historic sites, wildlife reserves and bald eagle
sanctuaries. Enjoy walk-able Astoria, with its many unique shops, historic
storefronts, quality restaurants, museums and other attractions.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES ABOARD THE EXPLORER TRAIN
By Rep. Betsy Johnson
Chair of the Board, Lewis & Clark Bicentennial of Oregon
Between 2003 and 2006, Americans will observe the 200th anniversary of a
defining moment in our nation’s history: the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
It’s been 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on an
epic journey into an unknown wilderness that helped charter the future of
the United States. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the two army
captains in 1803 to explore the unforeseen west with hopes of finding a
navigable water route to the Pacific Ocean.
Lewis and Clark launched their wooden boats in the Missouri River in 1803,
embarking on a 7,680-mile, 28-month journey. They never found the “Northwest
Passage” – the fabled navigable waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans – because it didn’t exist. Their great adventure, however, did yield
vast new knowledge that inspired a century of westward exploration and
helped define a nation – bridging the gap between their day and ours.
Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery surveyed an unfamiliar landscape,
documented hundreds of native plants and animals, and encountered more than
four-dozen Indian tribes – many of whom had never laid eyes on a white
person. It was a journey of self-discovery, first encounters, and
unprecedented exploration.
Today that journey continues. Two hundred years later, at a time when the
U.S. again faces great unknowns, Lewis and Clark’s daring journey offers
lessons about how America can once again find its way in the world. As part
of Oregon’s bicentennial commemoration, the Lewis and Clark Explorer Train
travels from Portland to Astoria along the old Lewis and Clark Trail in
Oregon. It passes many historic sites visited by the famous explorers,
including panoramic views of the Columbia River, nature reserves and over
river trestles.
The Explorer is a bicentennial project of the state of Oregon. The state
purchased three self-propelled rail-diesel cars from British Columbia Rail
for the new excursion train – the first passenger service on the
Portland-Astoria route since 1952. The state is contracting with Portland
and Western Railroad in Salem to operate the train.
The train, which began its inaugural run on May 17, is scheduled for each
May-September season through 2006 for the duration of the Lewis and Clark
Bicentennial. This year it will operate four days a week – Friday to Monday
– through Tuesday, September 2, 2003, with roundtrips departing from Linnton
at 7:50 a.m. and arriving back in Linnton at 8:50 p.m.
During the four-hour trip, passengers can relax in comfortable reclining
seats and enjoy panoramic views through the train’s wide picture windows.
Food and beverage service is
available onboard. The train’s top speed is 30 miles an hour, just right for
sightseeing and picture taking.
Once in Astoria, visitors can take part in historic walking tours or visit
the Columbia River Maritime Museum, which is within walking distance of the
station. The Astoria Waterfront Trolley provides convenient transportation
along the historic waterfront and downtown areas. Transportation service is
also available to other points of interest including the Fort Clatsop
National Memorial, where visitors can chat with Lewis and Clark
impersonators, Fort Stevens State Park, the Victorian-era Flavel House
mansion, and the Astoria Column.
The picturesque Astoria-Warrenton region was the most western outpost of
Lewis and Clark and their multicultural Corps of Discovery. It is also the
location of the first permanent American settlement west of the Rockies,
founded in 1811. The expedition ended its 4,100-mile westward journey in
1805 in the Astoria area, and also spent the winter of 1805-06 at Fort
Clatsop
There are so many lessons and morals to be drawn from Lewis and Clark’s
journey. We hope you’ll be inspired to see for yourself, because the trail
has so many stories to tell.
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