Dear Gerry,
Your idea sounds like it has tremendous potential.  A few thoughts for
you...

Coming up soon is the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition and
there are all sorts of projects underway to celebrate/explore the trail and
those times.  -> build a tour around some of these events.  -> loosely
"retrace" their route focusing not only Lewis&Clark but additional sites as
well.  -> follow the big rivers they followed - Missouri River, Columbia,
etc. visiting sites along the way.

The last idea is the real reason I am writing.  I am curator of the
Steamboat Bertrand Museum   in Missouri Valley, Iowa (just north of Omaha,
Nebraska).  The museum houses the cargo of a steamboat that sank in 1865 as
it was headed upriver to the Montana Territory laden with mining,
agricultural, and other supplies.  We are located on the Missouri River and
thus on the Lewis&Clark trail.  We draw Civil War buffs, antique
collectors, and some Lewis&Clark trail followers.  But each year we also
get several tour loads of buses of folks from Canada as they head south to
gamble in Branson, Missouri.  They enjoy the chance to stretch their legs
off the bus, we enjoy their patronage in the gift shop.  It would be a true
pleasure to host a tour group that was coming to visit the museum because
of the marvelous collection we display....  In other words - come visit!
and bring a tour!!

If you want more information contact me at
[log in to unmask]
or visit our web site at:
http://refuges.fws.gov/NWRSFiles/CulturalResources/bertrand/bertrand.html
(Don't be confused - we are located on DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, run
by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.)

I wish you the best of luck with your new business.
Sarah Tuttle
----------
> From: Gerry Crouse <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Introduction
> Date: Monday, January 04, 1999 8:56 AM
>
> Hello,
>
> My name is Gerry Crouse.  I worked for Parks Canada for 20+ years before
> retiring in 1996 due to health.  During that time, I spent more than 10
> years with the National Historic Sites Directorate in both policy- and
> program-type positions.  For the last few years, I was the co-ordinator
for
> a program called the National Cost-Sharing Program, which helped fund the
> restoration of national historic sites NOT owned by the Canadian
government.
>
> These days I work from home as a part-time travel agent.  My particular
> interest (and my reason for joining this list) is heritage-related
travel.
> I would be especially interested in making contact with anyone who has
> experience with travel programs related to museums.  Over the next couple
of
> years, I hope to be able to develop travel packages that would be of
> interest to both heritage professionals but especially heritage
supporters
> such as museum members and "Friends of" organizations.  Please e-mail me
if
> you have any experience/knowledge in this area.
>
> I am curious as to how this list operates.  It seems that I get a "burst"
of
> messages and then nothing for days at a time.  Is this just a volume
thing,
> or is it due to how the list is moderated and administered?  By the way,
I
> know first hand what a tremendous job it is to run a maillist effectively
> and I admire and respect anyone who takes on the task.  They perform a
> yeoman service for those of us who reap the benefit of their efforts.  My
> thanks to whomever performs the task for this list.  You are a brave and
> generous person.
>
> Best wishes for the new year to all.
>
> Gerry Crouse
> Aylmer, Quebec, Canada