Lewis and Clark Trail Experience
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MISSISSIPPI & MISSOURI RIVERS
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Lewis & Clark Trail Experience
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THE LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL
16 STATES
4,900 MILES
60 TRIBAL NATIONS
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PRODUCED IN 2024
BY THE
LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL ALLIANCE
RICHARD HUNT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Richard Hunt
Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Lewis and Clark Trail Experience
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Even more fun
Embark on a journey like no other along the Lewis and Clark
National Historic Trail! Stretching across over 4,900 miles and
16 states, this iconic route retraces the steps of the legendary
explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Whether you're a
history enthusiast, nature lover, or adventure seeker, the Trail
offers something for everyone.
On the Trail you can walk in the footsteps of history, visit some
of the most stunning and diverse landscapes in the country,
enjoy outdoors in pristine environments that have changed little
since Lewis and Clark’s time, and engage with vibrant
communities that celebrate their heritage with festivals,
museums, and cultural events.
Don't just read about history—live it! Plan your adventure on the
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail today and create
memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it's a weekend
getaway or an epic road trip, the Trail promises an unforgettable
experience for all who dare to explore it.
MISSISSIPPI AND LOWER MISSOURI
EXPLORATION TIMELINE
1803
December 12 Clark and crew arrive at Camp River Dubois (Wood River Camp) in present-day Illinois.
1804
March 10 Captain Amos Stoddard, U.S. Army officer, takes possession of the Louisiana Territory for the
United States in a ceremony at St. Louis. Lewis and Clark both present.
May 14 Expedition leaves Camp River Dubois at 4:00 p.m.
May 20 Lewis joins the Expedition in St. Charles in present-day Missouri.
May 21 The entire Corps of Discovery departs St. Charles at 3:30 p.m. as St. Charles residents cheer.
May 26 The Captains organize the Expedition into three squads: Sergeants John Ordway, Nathaniel
Pryor, and Charles Floyd. They name Corporal Richard Warfington as the future commander of the
squad that will take the keelboat back to St. Louis.
June 1 Expedition reaches the Osage River.
June 4 The keelboat’s mast is broken off by a tree branch overhanging the Missouri River.
June 26 Expedition reaches land in present-day Kansas.
June 28 Collins and Hall break into the whisky while on sentry duty.
June 29 A court martial convicts Collins and Hall. Collins faces 100 lashes and Hall 50.
July 4 The Expedition celebrates the Nation’s 28th birthday. A snake bites Joseph Field. All of the men
receive an extra ration of whisky in celebration of Independence Day.
Read More
As Missouri’s oldest permanent European settlement, the village of Ste. Geneviève was
settled by French Canadians around 1735 on the west bank of the Mississippi River
about two miles south of its present location. The village was one of several important
French communities forming a region known as the Illinois Country, part of the vast
territory held by France in North America at the time.
In 1763, after the French and Indian War ended, France ceded all of its holdings west of
the Mississippi River to Spain. Despite the transfer and new Spanish government in the
region, Ste. Geneviève retained its distinctive French character and language.
Much of Historic Ste. Geneviève’s charm and ambiance are due to the remarkable
preservation of the original colonial settlement. Its narrow streets and fenced gardens
surround some of the most significant 18th-century architecture in the nation.
Ste.Genevieve National Historical Park
STE. GENEVIEVE, MISSOURI
The small American military outpost of
Fort Kaskaskia (1803–1807), Illinois,
played a pivotal role in the early days of
the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Fort
Kaskaskia was one of a series of forts
constructed by the U.S. Army in 1803
under orders from Secretary of War Henry
Dearborn to protect the frontier. It was
there on 29 November 1803 that Lewis
and Clark stopped to recruit eleven
soldiers. Lewis and Clark lingered at Fort
Kaskaskia for about a week, conducting
business or visiting influential citizens
such as fur trader and merchant Pierre
Menard in the nearby town of Kaskaskia.
With the departure of Lewis on 3
December 1803, followed by Clark on 7
December 1803, the fort slipped away into
obscurity.
FORT KASKASKIA
The Missouri History Museum explores St. Louis history
from the Mississippian people to today. Its historic building,
the first national monument to Thomas Jefferson, opened in
1913 on the former entrance site of the 1904 World’s Fair.
Exhibits highlight the city’s baseball legacy, “The Spirit of St.
Louis” plane, life on the Mississippi River, and the Civil
Rights movement. The History Clubhouse offers hands-on
experiences for children. With a collection built over 150
years, MHM is one of the nation’s largest regional history
museums, committed to dynamic, rotating exhibitions that
bring the past to life.
MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site in Ellis
Grove, Illinois, preserves the time-worn
earthen remains of Fort Kaskaskia,
constructed by the French ca. 1759 to defend
the town of Kaskaskia. Founded in 1703, the
town was for more than a century the region’s
principal commercial center, also serving
from 1818 to 1820 as the first capital of
Illinois. The small fort, containing only a three-
room barrack and a kitchen, was apparently
never fully completed. The fort was
periodically occupied by French or U.S. troops
until 1807 and sheltered local settlers during
Indian scares rising from the War of 1812.
Today’s historic site consists of four major
sections: the remains of Fort Kaskaskia,
Garrison Hill Cemetery, the Mississippi River
overlook and picnic area, and a large
campground. The remnants of Fort Kaskaskia
include long earthworks forming a rough
square, with bastions at the corners. Garrison
Hill Cemetery was established in 1891 by the
General Assembly for the remains of early
settlers whose graves were threatened by the
flooding of Kaskaskia. A large monument
erected in 1892 and commemorating the early
settlers is also located in the cemetery.
VISITING HISTORIC FORT KASKASKIA
The grassy bluff overlooking the Mississippi provides a sweeping view of the river and Kaskaskia
Island. Panels describe the rich history of Kaskaskia village, including its destruction in the 1880s-
1890s by the Mississippi River. The overlook and nearby day-use area include picnic shelters with
tables and grills. A campground includes tent-camping sites and 32 electrified sites. Playground
equipment is located near each end of the day-use area. A footpath leads to the Pierre Menard
Home State Historic Site, located at the bottom of the bluff.
The courthouse, initially built as a dwelling in the 1730s, is a unique remnant of the French
presence in Illinois. Converted to a courthouse in 1793, for the next 20 years it served as a center of
political activity in the Northwest Territory. It was dismantled in 1901, re-erected twice, and
reconstructed on its original site in 1939. The structure is an excellent example of early French log
construction known as poteaux-sur-solle. Upright hewn logs are seated on a horizontal log sill; the
spaces between logs are filled with stone and mortar chinking. The building rests on its original
stone foundation and contains four rooms that were originally used as a courtroom, schoolroom,
and legal offices. It is open to the public as part of the Colonial Cahokia State Historic Site in
Cahokia, Illinois.
Members of the Corps of Discovery first arrived at the village of Cahokia in present-day Illinois on 7
December 1803. Clark wrote that he “came to at 3 oClock at the Kohokia Landing, which is at the mouth
of Kohokia Creek ¾ of a mile from the Town, and in view of St Louis which is about 2½ miles distant.”
While encamped at nearby Wood River into May 1804, Lewis and Clark used the Cahokia Courthouse as
a headquarters for collecting infor mation, meeting with territorial leaders, gathering supplies, and
corresponding with President Thomas Jefferson through Postmaster John Hay. The courthouse greatly
facilitated their ability to make comprehensive plans for the Expedition.
Old Holy Family Church, Cahokia, Illinois, dates from about
1799. Restored in 1951, it is used regularly for religious
services. (Courtesy, Evening and Sunday Journal, East St.
Louis.)
CAHOKIA
After the Corps of Discovery departed Camp Dubois
on 14 May 1804, Sergeant Patrick Gass recorded his
thoughts: “in the evening we encamped on the north
bank six miles up the river. Here we had leisure to reflect
on our situation, and the nature of our engagements:
and, as we had all entered this service as volunteers,
to consider how far we stood pledged for the
success of an expedition. . .”
Camp Dubois sat at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, near present day Hartford,
Illinois. Between December 1804 and May 1805, Camp Dubois housed the men of the newly formed
Corps of Discovery. During those months dedicated to final preparations for the long journey, these
men brawled and drank and disobeyed. And yet as they prepared, the men began the slow process of
becoming a corps, a unit.
William Clark guided this transformation. While Meriwether Lewis wintered in St. Louis, securing
provisions and consulting fur traders’ journals, Clark delegated and disciplined. Courts-martial and
confinement were standards of military discipline. Hard work taught the men to rely on one another and
prepared them for the long voyage. Turning mischief to skill, the men held shooting matches with local
farmers and honed their marksmanship.
Camp Dubois proved to be the Expedition’s first test of cohesiveness. Living and working together
prepared Corps members like Gass to face the trials the journey would bring. Still, on that spring
morning in 1804, it was not without anticipation and trepidation that they “proceeded on under a jentle
brease up the Missouri.”
CAMP DUBOIS
The Gateway Arch reflects St. Louis' role in the
Westward Expansion of the United States during
the nineteenth century. The park is a memorial
to Thomas Jefferson's role in opening the West,
to the pioneers who helped shape its history,
and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in
the Old Courthouse.
ST LOUIS
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