Remembering Steven McClure

*2016 Friends of Baltimore Woods members from left to right; Susan Gere, Caroline Skinner,* *Jim Barnas, Barbara Quinn, Steven McClure, and Betsy Valle.*

When some of us Friends of Baltimore Woods old-timers think of Steven McClure, we remember him as a dyed-in-the-wool Lewis and Clark history buff. He was always eager to engage on that topic. He generously shared his knowledge with FOBW in the form of several lengthy articles for our newsletter, then called The Woods-Worker. [2012 issues can be found in the FOBW Newsletter archives]

Steven’s involvement with Friends of Baltimore Woods stemmed much from his passion for studying and writing about the Lewis and Clark Expedition in Oregon and Washington. Steven was especially interested in William Clark’s April 2, 1806 exploratory trip up the Willamette River with York, his enslaved companion, a native American guide and six other men. Baltimore Woods is adjacent to some of the events of that excursion.

Painting by Charles M. Russell of the Lewis and Clark Expedition meeting Chinookan canoes on the Columbia River — *Painting by Charles M. Russell – “Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia”*

In August 2014, Friends of Baltimore Woods took part in the Port of Portland’s Seaport Celebration, held that year at the Terminal 4 Toyota dock. As an FOBW member, Steven participated in our exhibit. His presentations about Clark’s presence on the very spot where automobiles now arrived daily from overseas, no doubt added to the general public’s impression of our small group. His uniquely engaging narrative style persuasively drew in people from the crowds attending the event and exposed the Baltimore Woods story to a wider audience.

Map from the Lewis and Clark journals showing the Columbia and Willamette (labeled "Multnomah") Rivers meeting near present-day Portland. — *Map from the Lewis and Clark journals showing the Columbia and Willamette (labeled “Multnomah”) Rivers meeting near present-day Portland.*

Steven’s maps and notes referenced Clark’s drawings and written accounts of the trip up the Willamette. Some of the drawings showed water channels and other land forms as part of the bluff system which coincide with features that can still be recognized today.

By studying these features, and factoring in Clark’s observations when they camped, Steven had determined the party’s campsite to be below a wooded bluff, the wooded bluff we now call York’s Overlook, on the current site of Terminal 4.

Steven’s passion for history — especially for how the history of Lewis and Clark’s experience in the Pacific Northwest is told — gave us all a more expansive view of this small piece of natural history we call Baltimore Woods. We remember him kindly. Steven McClure passed away on May 14 of this year.

by Jim Barnas and Caroline Skinner