Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

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T R A I L E X P E R I E N C E

MISSISSIPPI & MISSOURI RIVERS

SUMMER 2024

Kaw Point - Kansas City, Missouri

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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1998-2017

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DIGITAL MAGAZINE EDITOR

PHILIPPA NEWFIELD

Lewis & Clark Trail Experience

Digital Magazine

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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About the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance

EXPERIENCELEWISANDCLARK.travel

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.

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, 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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