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New book reframes Lewis and Clark's expedition by highlighting their supporting cast

Craig Fehrman will be at the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch on July 22nd.
Craig Fehrman
Craig Fehrman will be at the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch on July 22nd.

Author Craig Fehrman will be at the Kansas City Public Library later this month for a conversation about his new book "This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark."

It’s easy to forget that Lewis and Clark didn’t make it from St. Louis to Kansas City all the way to the Pacific Ocean without a team around them.

A new, highly praised book by historian Craig Fehrman titled “This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark” chronicles the expedition and the many people who helped make it a reality. Each chapter of the book is told from a different perspective.

Fehrman will be at the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch on July 22 to discuss the stories he uncovered and the characters who don't always get mentioned in your everyday U.S. history book.

He told KCUR's Up To Date that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark knew they could not take on an expedition of this scale without a strong crew.

"And it's so interesting to see the help that they found, the help that they weren't expecting, and how this real team effort was necessary to, you know, accomplish this great American adventure," Fehrman said.

This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark, Wednesday, July 22 at 6 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch, 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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