Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop, has announced the next virtual “In Their Footsteps” free speaker series event. “Pacific Slopes Prologues to Lewis & Clark” by David L. Nicandri will be on http://www.youtube.com/user/Lewisandclarknhp at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Sunday, March 21.

There are many puzzles that students of the Lewis and Clark Expedition continue to ponder. One of particular interest along the lower Columbia is why the story seems strangely anti-climactic. After all, reaching the target of the mission--the Pacific Ocean--one would think the captains' narratives would be approaching a crescendo. Lewis, however, is mute, and we are left with the relatively limited literary skills of William Clark and some of the enlisted men to carry the story.

In "Pacific Slope Prologues to Lewis & Clark," David Nicandri sheds light on this strange turn of events. Drawing on the lessons contained in his new book, "Lewis & Clark Reframed: Examining Ties to Cook, Vancouver, and Mackenzie,” Nicandri explains how the exploits of these British explorers shaped and at times confused Lewis & Clark's western end of their voyage experience.

David L. Nicandri has been studying and writing about Captain Cook as well as the Lewis and Clark Expedition for nearly two decades. The former director of the Washington State Historical Society, Nicandri is an expert in the history of the Pacific Northwest’s exploration phase. He is also the author of “Captain Cook Rediscovered: Voyaging to the Icy Latitudes” and “River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia.”

This monthly Sunday on-line event is made possible by the Lewis & Clark National Park Association (LCNPA), the park’s non-profit partner. Since 1963, the LCNPA has supported education, interpretation, research, and community involvement. Purchases at the LCNPA’s Fort Clatsop Bookstore support programs such as “In Their Footsteps.” For more LCNPA information, visit fortclatsopbookstore.com.

For more information, call (503) 861-4414; or check out http://www.nps.gov/lewi, or lewisandclarknps on Instagram, or Lewis and Clark National Historical Park on Facebook.