Delta Group: "Journey Along the Lewis and Clark Trail"

Tuesday, May 24, 7 pm, Antioch Library, 501 West 18th Street, Antioch.

Join the Delta Group at its May general meeting for a slide program traveling through time on a voyage of discovery across the American West.

In 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with their 33-member "Corps of Discovery", began a journey across unmapped territory, from the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers near St. Louis, westward to the Pacific Ocean. Their purpose was to explore the Louisiana Purchase, land recently added to the United States which doubled our country's size. They were instructed to gather scientific knowledge about plants, animals, natural resources, landscape features, and native cultures; but their primary assignment was to find a practical transportation and trade route across the continent to the Pacific. With their crew they followed the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, then crossed the Continental Divide through the rugged Bitterroot Mountains, and continued along the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers to the ocean. In 1806 the expedition returned safely from its 8,000-mile journey, with detailed information about the new land. But were Lewis and Clark explorers of wild uncharted wilderness, or invaders of traditional native cultures?

Delta Group members Janess Hanson and Jean Ward recently took a guided tour to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, following in the expedition's footsteps. It was a strenuous and demanding trip - getting on and off the bus 190 times, to see historic sites, interpretive centers, and awesome views! Their journey introduced them to the historic viewpoints of both the early Indian residents and the first white explorers. Some locations along the route were greatly changed, and other landscapes seemed untouched by time.

Before the program we'll briefly discuss current environmental issues. Information about summer activities will be available.

Group program meetings are usually held on the third Tuesday or Wednesday in January, March, May, September, and November; see future Yodelers. A newsletter listing Delta Group programs, outings, and activities is available by $5 subscription. To receive it, send a $5 check payable to "Sierra Club, Delta Group" to:

Tish Brown
51 Danridge Court
Antioch, CA 94509.

For information about Delta Group activities, call Janess Hanson at (925)458-0860. For information about Delta Area environmental concerns, call Tim Donahue at (925)754-8801.

Upcoming Delta Group hikes

Sat., May 7 - Black Diamond Regional Preserve, 1A hike.
Sun., May 8 - sketch hike, Regional Parks Botanical Gardens, Tilden Park.
Sun., June 5 - Mount Diablo State Park, 1A hike.
Sun., June 12 - sketch hike, Hayward Shoreline Regional Park.