'Best of Buddies' get hands-on history lesson

Members of the East Central for Exceptional Children's Best of Buddies (BOB) group had the opportunity to experience history on a recent field trip.

The day started with a stop at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn. North Dakota Parks & Recreation staff gave the students a tour of the site and led them in hands-on activities. The center is filled with thousands of period artifacts and modern exhibits depicting the experiences of the famous explorers and their interactions with the Mandan and Hidatsa native people.

While there, the students visited the reconstructed Fort Mandan, a fully furnished, full-size replica of the fort in which the Lewis and Clark Expedition overwintered in 1804-1805. They also tried on costumes from the period and learned about what life was like for the explorers. Vickie Becvar said they were amazed by how small the rooms were at the fort. Even though there were only two bunk beds in some rooms, eight people shared the space taking turns sleeping on the floor.

Two of the students, Anthony Hanson of Fessenden and Macee McClean of Carrington, prepared trivia questions for the rest of the group to answer so they could learn even more about Lewis & Clark's expedition. Take the quiz, which is printed at right, to see how much you know about the history!

They played native games and enjoyed a pizza lunch at the Interpretive Center before heading to Bismarck. There they took an hour-long Lewis & Clark Riverboat cruise. Due to sandbars and low water, they took an alternate route that started south of Bismarck. The group listened to a recorded narrative history of the Missouri River steamers that at one time were a key form of transportation along the river.

This year there are 15 students in the BOB group, and Becvar says she plans to organize a total of four special events for the students, including a service learning experience.