Words on a Page

Numerous works of western fiction have drawn inspiration from the Lewis and Clark journals since their official publication in 1814.  Most, such as Vardis Fisher's Tale of Valor (1960) and Brian Hall's I   Should Be Extremely Happy In Your Company (2003) have attempted to fictionalise what is known about the expedition, relying on the journals to structure the narrative and provide the bones of character development while relating the story of the expedition from the perspective of one or more real life members of the party.  James Alexander Thom's Sign Talker (2000) tells the story from the viewpoint of George Drouillard, the Corps’ half-blood Shawnee interpreter, while Anna Lee Waldo's Sacajawea (1978) and Diane Glancy's Stone Heart (2003) present the story from the point of view of the expedition's only female member.  Others, such as Will Henry's The Gates of the Mountains (1963), present the story from the point of view of a fictional character plac...