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Passing on Our Heritage

By: Phil Scriver, LC200 Historian

Early Lewis and Clark researchers started their search for knowledge by studying as many details as possible to learn who, what, when and where of the Expedition. Since much had already been written about the journey--and a great deal during the journey--these historians had a distinct advantage over those studying other explorations. However, the question "why" was still waiting, as were other questions: How was it so successfully accomplished? What were the consequences of the expedition? I am sure more questions can be thought of in addition to these.

As we study more of the related areas of history, as we broaden our scope, the more we can see these answers. These tangential aspects give clues that unlock the deepest secrets. These aspects also draw more people into the study. The total result of the study is increased by multipliers of the number of inquisitive minds involved.

I once heard a speaker at a dinner who titled his speech, "Interesting things I've found while looking for something else." The thing that stands out in my mind about his message is that many times he found answers to questions that had eluded him for a long time; he often found those answers while looking for something entirely different.

Museums are full of the artifacts of our history. There are museums specializing in just about every era of man's civilization. As a people were are quite good at recognizing and preserving our historic artifacts. But does this equate to preserving our heritage? I think not. What artifacts can we collect to preserve a strong moral value of right and wrong, duty, honor, and country? How can we create a display of the code of principles that guided the writers of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution? How does a father pass on the duty to defend freedom even if it means taking to the field of combat as a soldier? Can he give his son three generations of war relics and expect that son to feel the same way about them as he did? The physical "things" associated with our past remain "things" until the values are associated with them.

If we pass the values and the true heritage of concepts and ideals we hold dear, the artifacts will follow. But, to do this means spending time with the family, nurturing inquisitive minds, making them a part of all your life--work, play, hobbies. A child's mind is like a sponge, eagerly soaking up everything. If a father provides the guidance for learning, his sons and daughters will inherit the heritage of both ideals and artifacts.

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Legacy of Lewis and Clark
Naming The Five Falls of the Missouri