National Parks Traveler Podcast

I hope you find the topic for the first show interesting -- if you recreate on federal lands, including the National Parks, it's at least topic that your wallet is already familiar with: entrance fees. I had the opportunity to speak with Washington State Representative Maralyn Chase who has co-sponsored a House Memorial which asks that federal fees collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) be abolished in the State of Washington.

I met a lot of folks along the trail who's dedication to the Lewis and Clark story inspired me. In August I introduced you to one of these guys, Craig Rockwell of the Army Corps of Engineers who portrays Captain Clark. Today, I would like to introduce you to a living history interpreter who I think is as talented as anyone I've ever met at his craft. This fellow is named Hasan Davis, he is an educator and makes his home in the St. Louis area but has traveled coast to coast telling the story of York, Captain William Clark's slave. I recorded this performance in July at the Signature Event at Pompey's Pillar in Montana. This recording was part of a larger program which also included performances by Hal Sterns as Captain Clark, and Amy Mosset as Sacagawea. This segment below is the 10 minute presentation given by Hasan. Have a listen, I think you'll hear why I think this guy is so good.

When I was at the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial event in Billings, MT recently, I brought along a portable audio recorder. I had the opportunity to chat with a fellow who has portrayed William Clark across the country at nearly all of the national Lewis & Clark events the last few years. The person's name is Craig "Rocky" Rockwell and he is an interpreter who works for the Army Corps of Engineers. Rocky's got a lot of good stories to share about his experience traveling the trail, and he agreed to share some of them in an informal interview. The running time of the interview is about 25 minutes total. The recording happened at an outdoor booth, so there was a lot of extra background noise. I've tried to edit out of as much of that extra noise as possible.