Nationally recognized historian, author, and public humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson writes books, portrays historical characters, appears in documentaries, edits the journal We Proceeded On, hosts the nationally syndicated Thomas Jefferson Hour, and serves as an editor-at-large for online journal Governing.com.

Former Washington State Historical Society Director David L. Nicandri is an expert in Pacific Northwest exploration history. His epilogue presents further opportunities to place the Lewis and Clark story and the Enlightenment era into historical context. Nicandri is the author of River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia and co-editor of two volumes on Captain James Cook.