Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is pleased to announce the next installment of its In Their Footsteps free speakers series. This program is Getting to Know Sacagawea by Elita Tom on Sunday, December 18, at 1:00 p.m. in the Netul River Room of the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center.


Elita Tom is a junior in high school and a member of the Yakama Indian Nation. Elita works with the Pacific Northwest Living Historians as they portray members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She portrays Sacagawea each August at The Saltmakers Return in Seaside and at the January Wintering Over program at Fort Clatsop. She is the winner of the National Park Service’s Pacific West Region 2010-2011 George and Helen Hartzog Youth Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service for this and other work in the park. She enjoys acting and behind-the-scenes work in both high school and community theater.

Elita will be dressed as Sacagawea might have been and will present a Chautauqua-style monologue where the audience will get to “meet Sacagawea.” A discussion about her research and preparation will follow this “first-person” performance.

Following Elita’s presentation, at 2:00 p.m. there will be a premiere of three short films made by high school students from the park’s Film Camp, an annual workshop where teens make documentaries about Lewis and Clark NHP.

Other holiday open house special activities will be scheduled throughout the day to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Fort Clatsop replica.

For more information, call the park at (503) 861-2471.