The Pioneer. Here is a man with a rugged soul, a steadfast gaze and a mettle of pure steely grit. He tames the land; he forges the uncharted territory of unknown mysteries with silent wisdom; his bed is made in a ruby red sunset and an endless horizon. His mustache could castrate a bull. He, The Pioneer, is one of those classic American heroes that we never tire of casting in the role of quixotic idol. We love his wild spirit, his gruff but honest chivalry and his masculine honor. His fringy jacket-thing is pretty cool too. But regardless of the myriad ways our culture seeks to emulate and romanticize the essence of this hardy hero of history, the Pioneering Man made a flesh and blood appearance in many of history’s greatest real-life luminaries. Lewis & Clark, anyone?
Although now be-spotted with many of the trappings of the modern mindset, the trail blazed by the exploring party of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark is still a famous fixture. An achievement on par with a journey to the Moon in its time, the Lewis & Clark expedition successfully charted the unexplored western territories and opened the door for the next generation of pioneering souls (and a decidedly large amount of land rape and native displacement, but people tend to ignore that). Continuing in the spirit of these famous explorers, author Elizabeth Tidwell re-forges the noted trail with her new book War Club: A Journey of Understanding Along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Tidwell will introduce and discuss this new chapter in pioneering parable at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library this upcoming Thursday, August 2nd, at 2pm.
A novelized modern story set along the famous Lewis & Clark route, War Club takes readers on a contemporary trek into the west where curious words, places, objects, people and experiences recreate a better understanding of the Lewis & Clark legacy. An author devoted to historical fiction, Tidwell has also written the novels Device and Deceit and Memories Will Always Linger in this same genre.
Don your hiking boots, affix that steely glint in your eye and tramp the trails of history and pioneering romance this Thursday over the river – a mighty journey indeed for any steel horse in this traffic climate. Modern pioneers indeed.
The Jeffersonville Township Public Library is located at 211 East Court Avenue.
Image: Courtesy of Amazon www.amazon.com
