Clearwater Crossing dedication to honor John Swayne

5-19-06

Orofino's newest site commemorating the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, Clearwater Crossing, will be dedicated Friday, May 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in ceremonies that will include a special memorial to the late John Swayne who developed the original concept for the park.

Following the dedication, participants will take a short walk along the river to the Orofino City Park where food and entertainment will be provided. The Clearwater-Snake Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Committee will host the event.

Keith Peterson, Idaho's Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Coordinator recalled,'John called me up sometime in the spring of 2002 and said he had some ideas about commemorating the bicentennial in Orofino. He asked if I could come out and spend some time with him, so I did, and spent the better part of a great day getting a wonderful local history tour."

"At that time, John's ideas were not very well jelled; he just knew the Lewis and Clark story and knew that Orofino was significant and deserved more than just Canoe Camp," Peterson continued. "As we discussed the kinds of things that the Governor's Committee might be able to fund, John's ideas began to take shape. The problem was, he only had a couple of weeks to write up a grant proposal, but he did send in a project somewhat similar to what is actually at the Clearwater Crossing site now. He asked for $40,000. The committee liked the concept, but did not think the project was well enough defined, so it provided $20,000 to develop a plan. At that point, Rob Simon, of the Clearwater County road department, and designer Don Brigham became actively involved, and in 2004 the group was prepared with a fleshed-out project and requested $50,000 from the Governor's Committee, which the committee awarded."

There have been lots of key players at the Clearwater Crossing site, but this project was really the brainchild of Swayne. He desperately wanted to have a significant lasting legacy of the bicentennial in Orofino. He truly wanted to see the bank of the river cleaned up. The particular design that took shape was mostly the work of Brigham, but none of this would have happened if Swayne had not taken the opportunity to think up the basic concept and write that initial grant, Peterson said.

Clearwater Crossing on the banks of the Clearwater River about a quarter mile down stream from the Orofino Bridge features two sculptures representing a Nez Perce man, Chief Twisted Hair, and a Nez Perce woman, Wet-Khoo-weis. The sculptures are of Cor-Ten steel which has a very high tensile strength and is more resistant to corrosion than regular carbon steel, though the orange-brown coloring that it gets as it oxidizes over time makes it look like it is rusting. It is considered an excellent material for sculpture. Twisted Hair and Wet-Khoo-weis were key people to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition while they were in the Clearwater area.

Chief Twisted Hair befriended Lewis and Clark and was even entrusted with the care of their horses when the party continued their journey by canoe from Orofino to the Pacific Ocean. (For further information about Chief Twisted Hair, see Orofino History Trivia Week 2.) This sculpture weighs about 1,400 pounds and stands 12 feet high with the raised shield. Both Wet-Khoo-weis and Twisted Hair are depicted in their younger years.

Wet-Khoo-weis, whose sculpture is the furthest up river, was a Nez Perce Indian woman who helped save the Lewis and Clark party from being killed. She had been captured by another tribe and taken east where she met white men and they aided in her escape. She eventually returned home and when other members of her tribe were considering killing the explorers, she convinced them not to do so. (For further information about Wet-Khoo-weis, see Orofino History Trivia Week 35.) The sculpture weighs about 1,000 pounds and stands eight feet high.

Brigham designed the park and artists David Govdare and Keith Powell made the sculptures which are similar to those they did for the display along the highway in Lewiston. Work on the rest of the park was done by Clearwater County Road and Bridge Department with help from Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino work crews. Paul and Lee Pippenger donated the portion of the land not already owned by the county, Simon said.

Everyone is invited to celebrate recognition of this historical milestone, learn more about the ancient and more recent Nez Perce history and remember the contributions of those who have made this special day possible.

Photos: Top--Chief Twisted Hair raises his shield to the sky. Second--Wet-Khoo-weis leads her horse to the Clearwater.