The third floor of Newcomb Hall has been transformed and it is all in homage of the legendary trek of Lewis and Clark across the then unexplored land of North America. Jefferson's West: Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, has been a colossal undertaking, explained Froney Shell, a staff member of the exposition. It has taken three years to organize, and will spend another four years touring the country, he said.Today's commencement of the Wednesday through Sunday program is centered at Monticello and the University because of Jefferson's intimate relationship with the expedition: he is the one who proposed it.
"People are absolutely fascinated with Lewis and Clark," Shell said. "People are fanatics, they read everything there is to know about them. Some enthusiasts even take to the famed trail, travelling the same route as the fabled explorers to experience history first-hand.
"Base Camp for Discovery," an exhibit in the third floor of Newcomb Hall, is one of the exposition's features. The vendors' hall, as staff member Nancy King referred to it, is a massive collection of informational booths and commercial stands: individuals and organizations that had a "story to tell," their own perspective on Lewis and Clark. It is open to the public and will be open from Wednesday through Saturday.
Stepping into Newcomb Ballroom will overwhelm visitors. In one corner, in an exhibit titled One People, One Nation Bozema MT, an authentic looking teepee staggers over viewers. The conical shaped structure envelops varying brown and manila shades of leather, with wooden poles converging at the top. Animal skins turned into canvases, covered with red and yellow paintings of Indian life, surround the dwelling.
A nearby table showcases various items for sale, including spirit dolls made from deer hide, rattles and dreams catchers.
Groups from the states that Lewis and Clark passed on their travels occupy some of the booths. Oregon, Illinois, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri and Indiana are represented, among others. Each booth is plastered with stacks of brochures, pamphlets, and surrounded by large, colorful displays.
Jane Bostic, from the West Virginia Division of Tourism, was setting up her state's booth. Lewis prepared for his travels in West Virginia, Bostic explained about the state, which may at first thought seem unrelated to the expedition. Bostic said she increasingly became more intrigued in Lewis and Clark as she learned more about them.
"I found out how important it was for not only West Virginia, but for the United States as a whole. Without the expedition there would not have been a United States," she said.
As workers finished tidying up their booths last night, the spirit and enthusiasm for the Lewis and Clark expedition is palpable, if not already visible.
"We have a story to tell and that's why we're here," Bostic said.
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