Talks about Lewis & Clark
- Location: Fort Clatsop Visitor Center, Fort Clatsop Road, Astoria, OR, USA (View on Google Maps) Start Date: July 7, 2025
- Start Time: 2:00 pm
- End Time: 4:30 pm
Drs. David and Marti Peck will give two July 7 talks at Fort Clatsop about important issues related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Their 2 p.m. talk will focus on medical issues faced by the explorers.
A retired physician whose career included emergency room medicine, Dr. David Peck is the author of the 2011 Or Perish in the Attempt, a book that ingeniously combines the remarkable adventures of Lewis and Clark with the health challenges faced by expedition members during their nearly 10,000-mile journey.
In their 3:30 p.m. talk, the Pecks will discuss the mysterious death of Meriwether Clark. The Pecks will rely on information from their groundbreaking 2021 book, So Hard to Die: A Physician and a Psychologist Explore the Mystery of Meriwether Lewis’s Death.
The book So Hard to Die goes far beyond any previous writings and speculations about Lewis’ death. It combines the clinical knowledge of Dr. David Peck with a psychological analysis by Dr. Marti Peck.
Dr. Marti Peck is a retired clinical psychologist with 31 years of experience. She became fascinated with the mental health aspects of Meriwether Lewis’ life from reading his biographies. Her insightful views of Lewis stem from a detailed analysis of his personality and how various influences from both the culture of early America and his family likely may have impacted his behaviors and ultimate fate.
The Fort Clatsop bookstore will have the Pecks’ books for sale. The couple will be available to sign books.
Learn more: Lewis & Clark Medicine, which is the Peck’s website.
Need inspiration? See our L&C Travel Magazine and our curated Inspiration Trips!
