George Drouillard
Oakland Mills Nature Center, Henry County
Monday, September 21, 2015
By Darryl Draper, expert on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Free of Charge. Sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Pat and Dan McCabe, Financial Advisors
“Darrel Draper, a fifth generation Nebraskan, retired Navy Officer, and graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, uses his talents as a storyteller and actor to educate and entertain. He has performed for national and state government agencies, museums, schools, youth groups, festivals, and is a popular banquet and luncheon speaker. Darrel specializes in costumed portrayals of historical figures that played major roles in the events that shaped our state and nation. Having personally retraced thousands of miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail by canoe and on foot, Darrel is considered an expert on the history of the expedition. His George Drouillard reenactment has received standing ovations from coast to coast. Audience members themselves are invited onto the stage during the presentation to dramatize various episodes of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Darrel is the most requested performer on the Nebraska Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau. He and his wife JoAnne, live in Omaha.“George Drouillard: Hunter, Interpreter, and Sign Talker for Lewis and Clark"
Drouillard (1774-1810?), half French and half Shawnee Indian, was the most valuable member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. When the two Captains needed someone who could shoot straight, talk to Indians who had never seen white men before, provide the 400 pounds of game needed each day, bring back a deserter, or stand his ground in the face of a wounded and raging grizzly bear, they almost always chose this amazing frontiersman. Adapted from the James Alexander Thom novel, Sign-Talker, this 45 minutes presentation, in full costume and French accent gives the audience a taste of Shawnee culture and spiritualism as you join Drouillard in the excitement of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.”
