"Boundless Frontiers" : Stories and History told by locals 'on & off' the Lewis & Clark Trail

In 1803 the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, asked his private secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to explore a territory unknown to most Euro - Americans. Together with his friend, William Clark, and a group of more than 30 people, Captain Lewis set out from the mouth of the Missouri river, north of Saint Louis, on May 14, 1804, to explore that country then known as Louisiana. The United States had just purchased this huge tract of land from France. Virtually it extended from west of the Mississippi river to the Rocky Mountains. Lewis and Clark and their team of explorers went on to try to find the famous 'Northwest Passage', the legendary communication route between the headwaters of the Missouri and the Columbia leading to the Pacific Ocean. It took Lewis & Clark almost two and a half years to travel to the Pacific and back to Saint Louis.

Nowadays, the Lewis & Clark Trail runs along the route followed by the explorers, along the Missouri river to its headwaters, through the Rocky Mountains via Lolo Pass, down the Columbia to the Oregon coast and back.
For two and a half months I have traveled along' the Lewis & Clark Trail doing interviews with scholars and other people along that route. I also had most of them read excerpts from the famous "Journals of Lewis & Clark".

"Boundless Frontiers" is the audio documentary containing answers and statements captured in these interviews as well as music that illustrates the mood of a particular location, sound illustrations reflecting natural impressions on the Lewis & Clark Trail, music from the time period of Lewis & Clark, and more excerpts of the "Journals of Lewis & Clark" read by American and Canadian actors and actresses.

"Boundless Frontiers" consists of three geographical parts :
the Lower Missouri Basin, from the mouth of the Missouri near Saint Louis, Missouri, and Wood River, Illinois, to near Sioux City, Iowa ; the Upper Missouri Basin, from near Vermillion, South Dakota, to the headwaters of the Missouri near Three Forks, Montana, and the Lolo Trail west of Missoula, Montana, between the states of Montana and Idaho ; the Pacific Northwest, from the end of the Lolo Trail near Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, to the site of Fort Clatsop, Oregon, where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805 / 1806 before their trip back home.

The total duration of this audio documentary is 58 hours approximately. For the time being you will have to download the various mp3 files which "Boundless Frontiers" is composed of. So you might want to check out the website. Downloading the mp3 files might last between 20 minutes and 1 hour per file depending on its size and duration.

www.radioenconstruction.com/silotheque/oratoraum/boundless_frontiers

Maybe you prefer to connect to a particular area along the Lewis & Clark Trail.

For the Lower Missouri area between Saint Louis and Sioux City the link is :
http://www.recfm.com/silotheque/oratoraum/boundless_frontiers/lower_missouri.php

For the Upper Missouri area from SouthDakota to Idaho the link is :
http://www.recfm.com/silotheque/oratoraum/boundless_frontiers/upper_missouri.php

For the Pacific Northwest area between Idaho and the Pacific Coast in Oregon the link is :
http://www.recfm.com/silotheque/oratoraum/boundless_frontiers/pacific_northwest.php

You need a speaker system and software that allows you to download mp3 files from the internet. Here is a link to a website that allows you to download a device called "Winamp 5.0" for free, legally and without any risk :

http://www.winamp.com/player/free.php

Here are all the questions that I have asked along the Lewis & Clark Trail. You find them and people's answers and statements in the audio documentary.

Who are Lewis and Clark today ?
What’s the story behind all this ?
Where were your ancestors in the early 1800’s ?
If Lewis and Clark came back here today, what would they see ?
What’s the difference between now and then ?
Where are the Native People now ?
How much trust do you have in strangers ?
What skills would you like to acquire ?
How would you like to package sthg. in the early 1800’s ?
Gosh, where am I ?
How are you using your land ?
If you wrote a letter to the President, what would you say ?
What method do you use to fill silence ?
What would you like to take a picture of ?
What is more desirable for you, wisdom or knowledge ?
How are you traveling these days ?
Where is the next frontier ?
What do you miss most about home ?
So why do you keep going on ?
When is your best time here ?
How popular would you like to be ?
What mission do you have ?
What’s next ?
Any advice for me ?
What’s it like to grow up here ?
What do you do to get your mind off things ?
How safe do you feel now ?
What makes you feel like dancing ?
What’s the matter with you ?
How will America change ?
How much need do you have for heroes ?

I will keep you informed about further updates. Please feel free to communicate and forward this email and the links to your friends and acquaintances. I would appreciate any feedback from you.

Marco Rixecker
on_off_mailbox@yahoo.com