Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop, has announced the next virtual “In Their Footsteps” free speaker series event. “Early Explorers of the Pacific Northwest – A Long Time Coming” by Robert Heacock will be on http://www.youtube.com/user/Lewisandclarknhp at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Sunday, May 16.

Heacock’s illustrated talk, “Early Explorers of the Pacific Northwest – A Long Time Coming” shows how the impressive tales of “Wooden Ships and Iron Men” are interwoven with the early Spanish, British, French, Russian and American efforts to claim the last “unexplored” coastline on the planet, and how their competitive struggles shaped our country.

Washington native Robert Heacock is an historian on Snake and Columbia River cruise boats and a member of the Washington Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. He is a frequent contributor to this chapter’s newsletter "Worthy of Notice," and the author of "Wind hard from the west - The Lewis and Clark Expedition on the Snake and Columbia Rivers." When not on the rivers, he can be found exploring the Pacific Northwest.

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.