ECHOES OF A BITTER CROSSING: LEWIS & CLARK IN IDAHO is a one-hour documentary on the crucial Idahoan segment of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's 1804-1806 daring expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific coast. Nearly 200 years later, people are still retracing the explorers' journey of discovery, in which the Idaho crossing played a major role. This is where the expedition almost ended in failure - where the nearly starved explorers were revived by the hospitality, care and food of the Nez Perce tribe. In interviews with Lewis and Clark experts, and with members of the Nez Perce tribe from Idaho and neighboring states, the program highlights the difficult passage through Idaho. Among those featured are Gary Moulton, University of Nebraska history professor and editor of the Lewis & Clark journals; and Steven Russell of Iowa State University's Department of Electrical Engineering. One of the inventors of the Global Positioning System, Russell now is using the system to map the exact location of the historic trail through Idaho.
