Looking for an educational and diverting family trip for a summer evening? The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls has a series of Wednesday evening programs planned that will help visitors learn about Montana history. The free programs begin at 7 p.m. on alternating Wednesday nights from June 28 through August 23.
Jeff LaRock kicks off the season on June 28 with “An Evening with Patrick Gass.” Although he was one of the oldest members of the Corps of Discovery, Sergeant Gass outlived them all. He died in 1870, thirteen months shy of his 100th birthday.
In the show, Gass reflects on his experiences just before his 60th birthday and his first marriage. Interpretive Center ranger Darian Kath continues the programs on July 12 with his presentation “Lewis and Clark through the Bitterroots.”
Although the grueling portage at Great Falls challenged the Corps of Discovery, their trek through the Bitterroot Mountains was no less of a struggle. The presentation offers some insight into a less explored aspect of the Lewis and Clancy story.
On July 26, ranger Duane Buchi presents “Close Encounters of the Wild Kind.” The Lewis and Clark expedition had hundreds of encounters with the native fauna of the west, and some were very much of the up-close and dangerous variety. Hear how the members of the expedition overcame the challenges of nature.
“An Evening with Lieutenant James H. Bradley” will be the topic August 9 during a presentation by John Turner from Malmstrom Air Force Base. Bradley’s unit marched from Fort Shaw to the Little Big Horn battlefield and discovered the defeat of George Armstrong Custer’s troops.
The series will end August 23 with a presentation on “Traveling the Trail: Highlights of Today’s Lewis and Clark Trail.” Presenter Mary Ellen Ergle has been escorting visitors to sites on the trail for a couple of years and will give an overview of the sites and travel tips.
The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center also offers 6000 square feet of hands-on exhibits, interpretive trails, two movies by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns and associates, and an optional audio tour. For more information, call 406- 727-8733.
