Let's say you have to travel back in time.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,980]

23 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

They took it slowly enough to learn the land and feed themselves - as others might follow. The plodding along gave them a lot of time to observe. Sounds ideal in this connected world. Hook 'em Lewis and Clark Expedition and discovery.

They also came from several generations of immigrants into a hostile land. If you weren't capable of adapting or were genetically inclined to do poorly with hardship you just didn't survive. Fast forward several generations and you have a very hardy group of folks who can take on just about anything and still come out swinging. And that's probably a big part of why the American spirit is different than our european ancestors.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

15 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

They also came from several generations of immigrants into a hostile land. If you weren't capable of adapting or were genetically inclined to do poorly with hardship you just didn't survive. Fast forward several generations and you have a very hardy group of folks who can take on just about anything and still come out swinging. And that's probably a big part of why the American spirit is different than our european ancestors.

Grandpa Donner, is that you?

[washparkhorn 9,939]

21 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

They also came from several generations of immigrants into a hostile land. If you weren't capable of adapting or were genetically inclined to do poorly with hardship you just didn't survive. Fast forward several generations and you have a very hardy group of folks who can take on just about anything and still come out swinging. And that's probably a big part of why the American spirit is different than our european ancestors.

They should be moving north to follow the water. 

 

14 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Grandpa Donner, is that you?

Mind your manners grammy Whiggins.

Nebraska has a nice Lewis and Clark collection and website: https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/texts  Nebraska had a rich bicentennial celebration of the Expedition. Well done.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

10 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

They should be moving north to follow the water. 

 

Mind your manners grammy Whiggins.

Noted. And praise the Lord I’m not a grammy yet, that can wait awhile til everyone’s settled.
 

I have respect for the expedition, was pretty amazing really. Those that came after didn’t have an easy time of it either. Traveling between home and college there was a spot with a historical marker where I used to stop to stretch my legs. You could see the wagon ruts worn into the stone/ground. 

Edited September 18, 2020 by Mrs Whiggins

[washparkhorn 9,939]

13 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Traveling between home and college there was a spot with a historical marker where I used to stop to stretch my legs. You could see the wagon ruts worn into the stone/ground. 

There is a rest area on I-80 with ruts as I recall as well in Nebraska. I told my boys about the western explorers many times at that rest area on the way to Colorado. That sea of grass on the plains must have looked endless.  Hook 'em.

[Doc Reeves 6,434]

9 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Not to mention living with rats and vermin on the west coast.  Good times.

They probably would have been used to that tho. But when they made camp along the Colombia river it rained for all but 10 or 15 days for their entire stay. That’s just one more thing on the list of ‘nope’ for me

[Doc Reeves 6,434]

10 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

On the expedition. How many died later of complications arising from it such as syphilis? We probably have no way of knowing. Of course you could just abstain. Or use some sheep (or whatever animal was available on the frontier) intestines to try and prevent it. But that might not have flown with some of the tribes who literally wanted the white men to impregnate their wives so that their children could have the white man's medicine.

Well, I’m sure we all know things didn’t turn out too well for Capt. Lewis. He was slandered by the successive president, became an increasingly bad drunk and attempted suicide twice before finally succeeding by using 2 pistols in Tennessee on the was to clear his name.

i suppose he was of physical rather than mental hardy stock

[JohnnyRage 1,617]

Can you imagine the STD’s 200 years ago?!? No wonder why young virgins are fetishized.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,980]

1 hour ago, Doc Reeves said:

Well, I’m sure we all know things didn’t turn out too well for Capt. Lewis. He was slandered by the successive president, became an increasingly bad drunk and attempted suicide twice before finally succeeding by using 2 pistols in Tennessee on the was to clear his name.

i suppose he was of physical rather than mental hardy stock

Well, he was something like a manic depressive, or he at least went through stages of severe depression. So it's not too surprising that he ended things like he did. Even today I'm sure that folks who suffer from severe depression have a shockingly high suicide rate.

[NeverMarryAStripper 22,030]

You don't really believe the cover up about Lewis' death do you?

[Armybrat 40,993]

15 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Remarkable for such a journey. 

Sacagawea was invaluable - not only for her language skills, but also for her quick thinking to save the priceless journals when a boat capsized. 

The feds named the huge lake they built on the Missouri River in North Dakota in the 1950s after her. It undoubtedly flooded some of their campsites. Not to mention my great uncle Frank’s 260 acres that he farmed from pre-WW1 until the government bought him out. Here he is at the dugout cabin that he built - he & his wife lived in it for 40+ years before moving out to a new town. It is now under about 100’ of water.

Luckily the feds forgot to eminent domain his mineral rights along with the surface acreage. I don’t think Uncle Frank could begin to image that his mineral rights would be leased for $1,000,000 fifty years after his death, not to mention the royalties it has subsequently yielded. I and his other heirs would like to shake his hand. 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by Armybrat

[atomheartbevo 90,054]

2 hours ago, JohnnyRage said:

Can you imagine the STD’s 200 years ago?!? No wonder why young virgins are fetishized.

Using squirrels as condoms didn’t help much either, from what I’ve read.

[BabaYaga 15,375]

11 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Nebraska has a nice Lewis and Clark collection and website: https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/texts  Nebraska had a rich bicentennial celebration of the Expedition. Well done.

Reminds me it's time to re-read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose.  One of my favorites.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,980]

3 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

You don't really believe the cover up about Lewis' death do you?

That bastard John Adams and his hideous hermaphroditical character probably stole the missing sections from Lewis's diary in order to frame him.

[Sgt Hulk 14,093]

3 hours ago, Armybrat said:

The feds named the huge lake they built on the Missouri River in North Dakota in the 1950s after her. It undoubtedly flooded some of their campsites. Not to mention my great uncle Frank’s 260 acres that he farmed from pre-WW1 until the government bought him out. Here he is at the dugout cabin that he built - he & his wife lived in it for 40+ years before moving out to a new town. It is now under about 100’ of water.

Luckily the feds forgot to eminent domain his mineral rights along with the surface acreage. I don’t think Uncle Frank could begin to image that his mineral rights would be leased for $1,000,000 fifty years after his death, not to mention the royalties it has subsequently yielded. I and his other heirs would like to shake his hand. 

 

 

did you take this photo?

[gyroprotagonist 2,595]

1 hour ago, Sgt Hulk said:

did you take this photo?

daguerreotype

[workswithseed 2,140]

17 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

They also came from several generations of immigrants into a hostile land. If you weren't capable of adapting or were genetically inclined to do poorly with hardship you just didn't survive. Fast forward several generations and you have a very hardy group of folks who can take on just about anything and still come out swinging. And that's probably a big part of why the American spirit is different than our european ancestors.

We're also different from Canada that way. We're still more free spirited than them.

[El Diablo 4,232]

Sailing ship captain trading in the south Pacific.