LONG BEACH, Wash. (AP) — It was a long time coming, but the descendants of explorer William Clark have tried to make amends for a 205-year-old theft.
A descendant of the explorer in the Corps of Discovery expedition that opened a land route to the West has presented the Chinook Indian Nation with a replica of a canoe that the corps stole in 1806.
The five-hour ceremony Saturday included songs, gift exchanges and the maiden voyage of the replica canoe.
Some of Clark’s descendants and a few friendly donors stepped forward to pay for the canoe, which was custom built in Veneta, Ore.
Ray Gardner, the chairman of the Chinook Nation’s tribal council, says the presentation of the replica of the canoe is a “good place to being healing.”
