Parkhurst: Life, then and now, is about relationships

Posted: Wednesday, September 26, 2012 11:13 pm | Updated: 9:22 am, Thu Sep 27, 2012.

At the beginning of the 19th century, President Jefferson ordered two Army officers to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, dubbed the Corps of Discovery, began in 1803 and traveled up the Missouri River, across the mountains and down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. They returned to St. Louis successfully in 1806 without losing a single man. (One man died shortly after leaving Missouri of a burst appendix.)

How do you get a crew of 30 men traveling by boat through hostile territory without losing a single man? The answer is in establishing relationships, notwithstanding the providence of God that saved them from grizzly bear attacks and runs down the white, foamy rapids of the Columbia River. This vast territory was inhabited by dozens of tribes of Native Americans, each having carved out its own tribal boundaries that were defended fiercely. Each had its own language and customs. The only common thread was their religion, centered on monotheism, but each had a slightly different approach. Is this starting to sound familiar?

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