Local Eastern Washington man participates in the Presential Inagural Parade.

It was a great honor for us to be asked to be part of this celebration, not of a man, but of the democratic process that allows us to determine our leaders. The fact that President Bush chose the Lewis and Clark expedition as part of his "Vision of America" inaugural theme should give those of us that have worked so hard on the bicentennial of this historic event much reason to celebrate. It is a recognition, at the highest level of our government, of the historic contribution of the Lewis and Clark story. It should also give us an opportunity to reflect on the vision that President Jefferson had in sending Lewis and Clark, and later other great explorers across the continent, and the impact that they had both for our growing nation and on the people that have inhabited these lands from long before. It is my hope that this will rekindle the fire under the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial as it heads toward the Rocky Mountains and then through the Columbia River Basin to the Pacific Ocean and back.

The opportunity to have the Lewis and Clark story featured in the inaugural parade arose when President Bush chose "Vision of America" as his inaugural theme. Here is what the inaugural theme website had to say about that:

"A Vision of America" has been selected as the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Theme. The 2005 theme commemorates the anniversaries of two significant events in American history that helped shape our nation - the centennial of Theodore Roosevelt's formal inauguration as president in 1905, and the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition reaching the Pacific in 1805.

We were able to capitalize on this opportunity when the State of North Dakota offered to let the bicentennial be represented on their State Theme Float, "North Dakota Legendary", which specifically commemorates the significance of Theodore Roosevelt, Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, and also General George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull to the building of North Dakota.

The people on the float are: (from right to left of the picture) Amy Mossett from North Dakota as Sacagawea, me from Washington State as Cpt. Clark, Scott Mandrell from Missouri as Cpt. Lewis, Steve Alexander from Michigan as General George Armstrong Custer, Dr. Ron His Horse Is Thunder from North Dakota as Sitting Bull (Ron is the president of Sitting Bull College and is a direct descendent of Sitting Bull), and Ray Anderson from Arizona as Theodore Roosevelt.

With Every Sincerity and Friendship,*
Craig 'Rocky' Rockwell

Assistant Natural Resource Manager
Clarkston Natural Resource Office
US Army Corps of Engineers
100 Fair Street
Clarkston, WA 99403
office phone: 509-751-0244
fax: 509-751-0242
cell phone: 509-386-6054
e:mail: craig.s.rockwell@usace.army.mil