History Can Really Can Be A Lot Of Fun

It’s trite but true.

Enthusiasm can be infectious.

The Cheney Cowles Museum’s Wednesday night series proves that over and over. Jack Nisbet, who concluded the lecture season with a laughter punctuated hour-plus talk last week, was the latest case in point. He is clearly knocked out by his subject, fur trader/cartographer David Thompson. And when you listen, the fascination tends to rub off.

Of course, many of the hundred-or-so people in the museum’s narrow auditorium didn’t need to be sold. More than a few arrived clutching Nisbet’s Thompson book, “Sources of the River.”

Some were shy about asking him to autograph their copies. “Maybe it would be better after his talk,” mumbled one woman who seemed uneasy about approaching the tall man with the big smile.

Others didn’t hesitate.

“Hello,” said a woman with white hair, sticking out her hand. “Are you Jack? I’m Millie. I loved your book.”

Still others were busy proving that 13-year-old girls at movie theaters have no monopoly on comic indecision about selecting seats.

Before Nisbet started, one man in the audience turned to his companion. “So this guy did a lot of research on this, huh?”

Soon the answer was clear.

Nisbet sensed he was talking to the already initiated, mostly. So he didn’t waste time with introductions and set-ups. For those new to the Thompson saga, it was like ducking into a class at mid-semester.

He outlined the explorer’s exploits in Canada and the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s. And Nisbet offered a theory about why Thompson isn’t more famous: “He never killed anybody.”

Now let’s be real. It’s unlikely that everyone at the museum was enthralled. Some might have wished they were home watching TV, where the person talking can’t see you yawn. And a few Wednesday night regulars probably prefer speakers who address, say, architecture or art.

But if facial expressions are any guide, a lot of Nisbet’s listeners ate it up. You know how history buffs are.

After his talk, when a museum staffer sought to wrap up the question-and-answer session, Nisbet wasn’t the only one who seemed surprised that time had moved along. “Oh sure, if anybody needs to go home,” he said, smiling.

Nobody needed an applause sign to know what to do next.

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