Local author a Lewis and Clark authority

"I didn’t move here because of Lewis and Clark," writer Barbara Fifer assured. Yet looking at her work these past six years, it’s hard to believe that Fifer, originally from Ohio, made her way to Montana for any reason other than to follow the footsteps of America’s most famous explorers.

By MARTIN J. KIDSTON – IR Feature Writer

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Having written four books on the topic, one wall calendar and an illustrated glossary, Fifer has become a who’s who among Lewis and Clark followers.

Back in 1969 when her husband took a job at a Helena newspaper, Fifer went to work for "Montana: The Magazine of Western History." Published by the Montana Historical Society, the magazine would serve as Fifer’s gateway into the state’s rich history.

"I’ve always worked in a book-related something or another," Fifer said. "I didn’t expect to get this involved in Lewis and Clark, but once I did one book, it became easier to do the others."

In 1984, Fifer took a job with Montana Magazine and Farcountry Press in Helena where her Lewis and Clark exploits began in earnest.

But Fifer hasn’t always been writing history books. She traces her career back to college where she graduated with a BA in creative writing and comparative literature at Ohio University.

While in school, she worked on the side for the Sydney Daily News in Sydney, Ohio.

"I was getting a lesson in practical journalism," Fifer said. "I did special sections and wrote local stories on certain topics."

Fifer made her way as an editor before she tackled her own projects. To date, her work has been published by both Farcountry Press and Double-Day Direct, among other publishing companies.

In Fifer’s own words, she writes for readers who may not be history experts, but rather, are history buffs.

"I really like the nature of the Lewis and Clark community," Fifer said. "It’s everything from middle school dropouts to college professors who just like that particular era, and who want to learn what life was really like on that expedition."

Montana’s Lewis and Clark community may be better off because of Fifer’s work.

Her most recent book, "Meeting Natives with Lewis and Clark" (Farcountry Press), highlights the relationships established between the explorers and their native hosts.

Fifer’s currently working on a book about Montana’s battlefields. But her work with everything Lewis and Clark is far from over.

Representing the Gates of the Mountains chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Fifer has her eyes set on 2005, when Montana’s own Lewis and Clark bicentennial begins.

"We’ll be a part of whatever goes on in ’05 and ’06," Fifer said. "We have about six meetings planned for this year."

The next chapter meeting will feature Linwood Laughey, an Idaho man with a doctorate degree who works as an outfitter and guide.

Fifer said Laughey will discuss the conditions the expedition faced when crossing the Bitterroot Mountains in what is now western Montana and eastern Idaho.

For more information on Barbara Fifer’s work, log on to http://www.farcountrypress.com, or call the publishing company at 444-5104.

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at [email protected].