ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL

For the National Park Service (NPS), HRA completed Commemoration and Collaboration: An Administrative History of Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The detailed, well-illustrated history covers a wide range of topics, including past commemorations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, plans to develop a Lewis and Clark Tourway, federal protection of Expedition-related sites, development of the National Trails System, creation of the category of National Historic Trail (NHT), establishment of Lewis and Clark NHT, development and protection of the trail through partnerships (federal, state, local, Tribal, and private), construction of visitor centers, commemoration of the Expedition’s bicentennial, and reorganization and management of Lewis and Clark NHT following the bicentennial. Commemoration and Collaboration examines the challenges the NPS has faced in managing resources, partnerships, and interpretation along a trail that stretches over 3,700 miles and intersects with a variety of constituents whose interests are sometimes in conflict.

HRA conducted 23 in-person oral histories with present and former NPS managers and staff; partners from federal agencies, Tribes, and private organizations; organizers of the bicentennial commemoration; and participants in the traveling Corps of Discovery II exhibit.

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