Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Designation Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam for yielding me this time, and I thank my friend and colleague from Arizona as well for his support.

This is a very exciting day. As we all know, 200 years ago today, as we speak, Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery were in the middle of their epic journey, actually in the early stages; and what a journey it was: thousands of miles of territory unexplored by U.S. citizens prior to that point and terminating, I am very proud to say, actually in my district on the west coast. And as the Members know, the Pacific Northwest is rich in history pertaining directly to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery and to the many tribes that greeted their arrival.

The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Designation Act will redesignate 560 acres in Washington and Oregon states as the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and will make this a unit of the National Park System. The acreage will include Fort Clatsop National Memorial; the Megler Safety Rest Area, which was then called Clark's Dismal Nitch; Station Camp; and Cape Disappointment State Park.

I want to take just a second to talk about Station Camp because it was a miraculous place. Lewis and Clark were facing horrific weather. If we read their journals from the time, the rain was pouring down, their clothes were rotting off their bodies, their canoes were capsizing frequently, and they were really at a critical point. They sent a group to the coast itself to look out over the ocean, and they had hoped perhaps they might see a ship there. There were none. Ships had been plying those waters for some decades, but they thought perhaps we will get lucky and can take a ship back. No such luck.

The question then arose: Where shall we winter over? Will we winter on the Washington side, what is now the Washington side, or on the southern side, what is now Oregon? How did they resolve this debate? In true democratic spirit, they had a vote. But what is so remarkable about this vote is the record in the journal indicates that Sacagawea voted, as did York, who was Clark's slave at the time. So here we were 60 years before emancipation, 100 years before suffrage. We took a vote, and the African American and the woman, a Native American, were included in the vote. And that happened at Station Camp.

So this commemoration and designation will allow visitors to the area to fully appreciate the richness of this courageous journey and the heroism that these early explorers showed.

I believe inclusion of these sites as part of the National Historical Park represents the best means for comprehensive interpretation of the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Pacific Northwest and will continue to relate the importance of the Corps of Discovery's journey long after the bicentennial commemoration has passed.

Fort Clatsop National Memorial, located near Astoria, Oregon, marks the spot where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent 106 days during the winter of 1805 through 1806. That memorial was established by an act of Congress in 1958 and is the only unit of the National Park System solely dedicated to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

During the bicentennial years, the National Park Service estimates that well over 1 million people will visit Fort Clatsop and the surrounding area. In fact, the memorial has already begun to notice a significant increase in visits; and to accommodate all of these visitors, to enhance visitor experience, it is vital that Fort Clatsop finish its expansion efforts immediately.

The inclusion of these sites is timely considering the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery is already under way and the preparations are being made in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon for the Destination Pacific Signature Event in 2005.

In addition to preserving and enhancing the historic value of these sites, inclusion with the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park will bring important economic benefits to local communities that, quite frankly, have struggled with the decline of major industries and with high unemployment of late.

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and his staffers, Jim Zoia and David Watkins; the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and staffer Frank Vitello. The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) has been instrumental in this, as have members of both delegations and both sides of the aisle. This is truly a bistate, bicameral regional effort. And I also express my appreciation to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in the administration. The Secretary herself visited the area not long ago and has been a stalwart advocate. And, finally, Chip Jenkins, the superintendent of the park; David Nicandria of the Washington State Historical Society; and my own staffer, Ms. Paula Burg, have done outstanding work.

I thank my colleagues for their consideration in support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that H.R. 3819, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park Designation Act of 2004, passed the House earlier today.

From Jamestown to the Cumberland Gap, Virginia has been a land of pioneers. Virginians have explored the New World and established America, and two of her most adventurous sons are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

While the western trail of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is well- recognized, less known is the route taken in the preparation phase and return phase of the expedition. I thank my colleagues for joining me in support of H.R. 3819 and in recognition of the Eastern Legacy of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during this bicentennial commemoration.

On January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent a confidential letter to Congress requesting an appropriation of $2,500 to fund an expedition of exploration to the Pacific Ocean by route of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers with the hope of discovering a continuous water passage to the Pacific for the purpose of commerce. It was from Monticello that Jefferson conceived this idea, and he chose Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the exploration. Thus began what would become the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

On March 15, 1803, Meriwether Lewis left the President's House in Washington, D.C. and began preparations for his adventures toward the Pacific. He stopped at the arsenal in Harper's Ferry with an authorizing letter from the Secretary of War and purchased items. He proceeded to Philadelphia, where he studied a wide range of scientific topics. Lewis returned to Washington when he wrote to Captain William Clark to enlist his aid and to share command of the expedition.

In Pittsburgh, Lewis had a keelboat constructed and recruited boatmen to man the vessel that would enable him and Clark to make the long journey. Preparations for the expedition, beginning at Monticello and ending in Wood River, Illinois and the return phase beginning in St. Louis and ending in Washington, D.C., included visiting sites in ten States in the East. These States include Virginia, Maryland,

Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois, as well as the District of Columbia.

Currently, no sites visited in these States are recognized as Lewis and Clark National Historic Landmarks nor are they locations along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. I am pleased that Title II of H.R. 3819 implements a study that begins the process towards obtaining recognition for these sites east of the Mississippi.

On January 18, Jefferson's Monticello hosted the commencement of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration that will continue through 2006. This was the first signature event of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, and hopefully, once the study has been completed, the National Park Service will designate Monticello and other parts of the Eastern Legacy as official Lewis and Clark trail sites.

I believe that it is appropriate to include the route followed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, whether independently or together, in the preparation and return phases of the expedition. The Eastern Legacy should rightfully be included in the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. H.R. 3819 is a positive step towards properly recognizing and honoring the Eastern Legacy of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3819) to redesignate Fort Clatsop National Memorial as the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, to include in the park sites in the State of Washington as well as the State of Oregon, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3819, introduced by the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Baird), would redesignate Fort Clatsop National Memorial as the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, to include in the park sites in the State of Washington as well as the State of Oregon, and for other purposes. Additionally, this bill directs the transfer of existing Federal lands currently under the jurisdiction of the BLM and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

Finally, H.R. 3819 calls for a study of additional sites associated with the eastern legacy of the Lewis and Clark expedition to be completed by the Secretary of the Interior and the results

transmitted to Congress within 1 year of this bill's passage. The study will serve to identify potential additions east of the Mississippi to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, for which several pieces of legislation have recently been introduced. Mr. Speaker, without completing this important first step, determining which sites are truly worthy of recognition, designating further sites would stain the authenticity of the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3819 is supported by the majority and the minority of the committee and by the administration. I would urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, the significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the history of the United States cannot be overstated. Once enacted, H.R. 3819 will ensure that the critical ``turnaround'' chapter of the Lewis and Clark story, which took place once they reached the west coast, can be fully explored and the relevant sites fully conserved and interpreted.

H.R. 3819, sponsored by the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Baird), would implement the preferred alternative identified in the recently completed Lower Columbia Lewis and Clark Sites Boundary Study. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird) is to be commended for his diligence in getting this measure to the floor and for his dedication as a steward of the Lewis and Clark story.

We urge our colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3819, the Lewis and Clark National and Historical Park Designation Act.

The bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's epic journey is upon us. H.R. 3819 commemorates the Corps of Discovery by renaming several state parks and Ft. Clatsop National Memorial as the Lewis and Clark National and Historical Park.

Through 15 National Heritage Events, tens of thousands of participants from all over the world will be able to experience the 200-year-old story of Lewis and Clark, and take away lessons that are still relevant today.

The Pacific is one of 15 nationally sanctioned events taking place along the Lewis and Clark trail. This is a bi-state collaboration between Washington and Oregon scheduled for Friday, November 11th through Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 and ends with the dedication of a new state/national park at Station Camp. Local businesses, national and state park staff, and volunteers are working tirelessly to make our signature event a success. Congress must also do its part by passing