
A full-scale replica of Lewis & Clark’s expedition’s keelboat is the centerpiece of the galleries at The Lewis & Clark State Historic Site in Hartford, IL.

The cut-away side of the keelboat shows the expedition’s supplies and equipment.

Exhibits and displays highlight camp life and journey preparation.

The Confluence Tower offers amazing views of the Confluence and surrounding area.
All photos by Cheryl Eichar Jett.
By Cheryl Eichar-Jett
In December 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived in what we now think of as the Greater St. Louis region to ready themselves and their corps members for a grand, almost impossible-seeming expedition westward across the future United States to the Pacific Coast. Lewis and Clark would headquarter through the winter and spring to complete preparations and recruit corps members.
President Thomas Jefferson had appointed Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson’s personal secretary, to lead the expedition. Lewis, believing there must be two leaders in case one became ill or injured, chose William Clark to co-captain the expedition. Jefferson charged the expedition with finding a direct route west to the Pacific Ocean, documenting the territory, and making contact with Indian peoples along their route.
In May 1804, after completing preparations during the winter and spring, the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark loaded their keelboat plus two smaller boats called pirogues and left their departure point to begin the journey to the Pacific Coast. During the two-and-a-half year expedition, the Corps traveled about 8,000 miles from Camp Dubois west to the mouth of the Columbia River and then back to St. Louis. During their journey, they documented 300 species of flora and fauna while gathering invaluable knowledge of the geography along the route. The Corps benefited from the Native Americans they met during the journey, learning about routes, food, and trading. Remarkably, the Corps lost just one man, Sergeant Charles Floyd, whose death is thought to have been due to a burst appendix.
During their time of preparation before the departure by keelboat, Lewis and Clark’s travel in the Camp Dubois area was by horse – a huge contrast to how easily we travel now in the 21st Century. Visitors to the historic area of the camp can now easily access Lewis and Clark State Historic Site at Hartford, Illinois, to learn more about the planning, preparation, and departure of the Corps of Discovery.
The Lewis & Clark State Historic Site opened in 2002 to commemorate Camp River Dubois, the camp of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from December 1803 to May 1804. In the 14,000-square-foot interpretive center, attractive and educational exhibits inform visitors of who Lewis and Clark were and how they came to be the leaders of the expedition, plus journey preparations, supplies, and equipment. Other displays show Native American groups that the Corps would encounter, and the geography and wildlife which they would discover.
Additional exhibits throughout the galleries show uniforms, weapons, tools, and other details of the era, and there are numerous child-friendly and interactive spots along the path through the galleries.
Prepare to be amazed by the full-scale replica of the expedition’s keelboat, constructed in the soaring, daylight-filled space of the main gallery. As you approach the keelboat, you will see the length of its exterior. Stroll along it on the cut-away other side, and you can view the craft’s interior storage areas and the supplies and equipment carried within them. The details of all these exhibits are historically correct, due to the detailed journals and lists that survived from the
expedition’s leaders and participants.
A nicely-equipped theater shows a 15-minute introductory film, which either before or after your tour of the galleries and the grounds illuminates the life and times of the Corps of Discovery. The gift shop just off the lobby features a nice selection of books and souvenirs for all ages and is currently open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm (double check online ahead of visiting).
Outdoors, visit the reconstructed Camp River Dubois winter encampment, designed in accordance with U.S. Army regulations for military post construction. During the annual departure event in May and other special events, these structures are a hive of activity with military re-enactors and demonstrations of daily life of the era. A shaded picnic area entices visitors to pause for their lunch or snack while taking in this historic site.
Just a mile north of the historic site, also accessed off IL Route 3, the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower rises 180 feet above the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the two longest rivers in North America. Constructed in 2010 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the departure of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the tower offers a grand view of the confluence and surrounding area from its three viewing elevations at 50, 100, and 150 feet.
IF YOU GO: check open days/hours plus special events and announcements at campdubois.com. The Lewis & Clark State Historic Site is located at 1 Lewis & Clark Trail, Hartford, IL. No admission charge, but donations are encouraged. Check seasonal open hours for tours at the Confluence Tower, 435 Confluence Tower Drive at riversandroutes.com/directory/lewis-clark-confluence-tower.
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