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William Clark

By John McKinney

Age 10


	William Clark was born in Virginia in 1770 and raised in what is now the state of Kentucky. He joined the army in 1789 and took part in lots of battles with the Indians in the East. General Clark was an awful speller but an awesome mapmaker and a good artist who later drew lots of animals and plants seen by white people for the first time.

In October 1783, Clark was 13 years old. He climbed a little mountain to see the view. He was close to Charlottesville, where Thomas Jefferson had built a home. Clark wanted to meet Jefferson.

Clark’s good friend Meriwether Lewis was a friend with Jefferson. Jefferson asked Lewis to explore the west. Clark was chosen by Lewis as his equal leader. Clark accepted and they went down the Ohio River to explore the East.

Clark was a good judge of people; Clark hired almost all of those who went on the Expedition. Some of the people who went along where Lewis’s dog Seaman, Bratton, Clark slave York, Leborgne, Drouillard, Old Toby and Sacagawea. A woman by the name of Sacagawea was an Indian who translated Indian words for Lewis and Clark while on their Expedition. Clark said about her, “She deserved a far greater reward for her contribution.” Jefferson financed the Expedition.

After the journey was over, Lewis took command of the military of Louisiana Territory and eventually became Governor. The Expedition took place from 1803 to 1806. Lewis moved near Nashville, Tennessee where he killed himself. Clark bought a newspaper and read of Lewis’s death. In 1813, Clark became governor of Missouri Territory. Clark died at age 69 on September 1, 1838.

Source: Wilkie, Katharine E. Will Clark: Boy in Buckskins. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1953.




	Views from A Child Re-Enactor


	Hi! My name is Hannah. I am 10 years old. I am a child re-enactor. I love re-enacting. It is a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work.

Two years ago I did my first re-enactment. I thought that it was alot of fun, so I made a commitment that I would stick with it. A few weeks later I moved from Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia. It has been hard to travel back to Kentucky to do re-enactments with my grandparents, but since I made a commitment I tried my hardest to do re-enactments.

To be a good re-enactor you should do some research on the time period of which the re-enactment is taking place. You should also try to look like the character you play. For example if you play an Indian you should wear a lot of paint and if you are a settler you should try not to wear bright colors.

To be a good re-enactor you should also be very serious about it. Re-enacting has a lot of great opportunities. I have made a lot of friends from re-enacting. I have also learned a lot of history of America. I have also become a better actress. Being a re-enactor is a big privledge.

Even though re-enacting is fun, it is also hard. You should try not to be scared of the guns. It is also hard to remember not to smile and to scream because it is so fun. If you try hard you could be a good re-enactor.

I like being a re-enactor because the things that you see are very neat. I like seeing the Indians weigwams and their clothing and animal skins.

Anyone who is serious about re-enacting could be a great re-enactor. My next re-enactment will be at Salt River on July 5, 2003. My little sister Mahala, who is five will be in her first re-enactment. I am glad that I have the opportunity to be a re-enactor.

Hannah Cornett