Kansas City to Mound City
The Platte Purchase

The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at Kaw Point, the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, on June 26, 1804. The expedition camped at Kaw Point for three days to rest, repair their boats, explore the surrounding countryside, and for the first time during their journey, engage martial law.

Today, Kaw Point is located in the center of metropolitan Kansas City with a great view of downtown, but the Point itself remains in a natural state with beautiful wooded trails, wildflowers, and wildlife. Located along the river, the park has access to highways, the Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail, and two great rivers. This accessible park has an infrastructure to support a large number of visitors, and has an outdoor amphitheater equipped with electricity for performing arts and special events.

Visit Kaw Point Park to see the beautiful scenery and learn more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The park is open from 7am to 10pm daily.

After leaving the area of the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, the Corps moved northwest. It was on July 2, 1804 when the men first encountered the vacated Kansa or Kaw village near today’s Leavenworth, Kansas. It’s believed the Kansa people lived here in the 1740s and 1750s, but had moved farther west into the lower areas of the Kansas River.

Leavenworth is known as the “First City of Kansas,” featuring a 28-block historic downtown district, with a rich past, unique restaurants and interesting attractions, including the U.S. Army installation, Fort Leavenworth, originally built in 1827, and the notable Leavenworth Penitentiary, which opened in 1903.

Fort Leavenworth is home to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and the United States Disciplinary Barracks. The U.S Army Combined Arms Center provides functional training, leadership education, general training, doctrine, and training support.

How to get on the post: Vehicles can access Ft., Leavenworth, through Grant Gate. There must be at least one adult occupant that has their Department of Defense (DoD) issued ID card to present to the access control guards. Additionally, you may enter if you present your Locally Approved Credential (LAC) or a Temporary Pass issued by the Visitor Control Center: If you do not have an ID card listed on the Department of Defense (DoD) issued ID cards website, you must stop by the VCC at the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and 4th Street. Don’t be intimidated by our access procedures. Fort Leavenworth encourages visitors to our historic post and you are welcome here.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped in this area July 2, 1804 opposite the head of Bear Medicine Island (later Kickapoo Island) and replaced a broken mast with a cut cottonwood. They noted across the river remains of the old French fort Cavagnolle in the rear of the first Kansas Indian village.

Established in 1836 Weston served as a major point of departure for the Santa Fe and Oregon trails and those hoping to strike in rich during the California Gold Rush. Much of the pre Civil War architecture still survives on Weston’s Main Street now filled with shops to supply the modern day explorer. The Hotel St. George was opened in 1845 and has served the captains ranging from steamboats and automobiles since and now sits on the National Historic Registry. Today Weston is home to handmade cigars, a winery, antiques shops, boutiques and one of the country’s largest spirit distilleries. A day in Weston provides a look into the past while enjoying the amenities that are special in any century.

The Missouri River, the explorer’s highway, was a topic of their journals. At the time, the river meandered freely across the landscape. In places, its course formed an almost complete loop and then cut across the neck of the loop to shorten itself. As the ends of the loop silted with sediment, an oxbow lake was formed. The journal entry for July 4, 1804, described such a lake.

Lewis and Clark “Saw great numbers of Goslings to day which Were nearly grown, the before mentioned Lake is Clear and contain great quantities of fish and Gees & Goslings, The great quantity of those fowl in this Lake induced me to Call it Gosling Lake…” The oxbow lake that Clark described in that journal entry is located in Buchanan County and is known today as Lewis and Clark Lake.

Imagine how peaceful Lewis and Clark’s journey must have been with only the sounds of nature filling the air. Today, Missouri’s state parks protect the landscapes that Lewis and Clark encountered on their epic journey and await new explorers eager to discover the sights and sounds of nature.

Welcome to Atchison, Kansas, a charming riverside city brimming with history, culture, and adventure! Whether you’re a history buff eager to explore the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, a thrill-seeker ready to embark on a haunted trolley tour, or a nature lover looking to hike the beautiful trails along the Missouri River, Atchison has something for everyone. Indulge in the local flavors at our unique eateries, enjoy shopping at quaint boutiques, and immerse yourself in the vibrant arts scene. From captivating historical tours to outdoor adventures and family-friendly festivals, Atchison offers an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages. Come discover the hidden gems and warm hospitality that make our city a must-visit destination.

On July 4, 1804, Lewis and Clark, exploring the new Louisiana Purchase, camped near this site. Fifty years later the town was founded by Pro-slavery men and named for Sen. D. R. Atchison. The Squatter Sovereign, Atchison’s first newspaper, was an early advocate of violence against abolition. It was here that Pardee Butler, a Free- State preacher, was set adrift on a river raft and on his return was tarred and feathered. It was also here that Abraham Lincoln in 1859 “auditioned” his famous Cooper Union address ~ unmentioned by local newspapers. During the heyday of river steamboating in the 1850’s Atchison became an outfitting depot for emigrant and freighting trains to Utah and the Pacific Coast, a supply base for the Pike’s Peak gold rush, and in the early 1850’s a starting point for the Pony Express and the Overland Stage lines. In this pioneer center of transportation the Santa Fe railway was organized in 1860, modestly named the Atchison & Topeka.

The Lewis & Clark Pavilion in Riverfront Park was constructed in preparation for the Lewis and Clark bicentennial commemoration on July 3-4, 2004. The pavilion, built by the Kansas Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission, has interpretive panels with information on the Lewis & Clark expedition, the Missouri River and the Kanza Nation.

With 13 museums and many more sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Joseph is a “historical experience” unlike any other. As the original place “where the west officially started getting wild”, St. Jo paved the way for the development of the western half of the country. Learn about our role in westward expansion through the many interactive exhibits on display.

Saint Joseph, Missouri is one of America’s best-kept secrets for historic architecture. Founded in 1843, St. Joseph quickly grew to become one of the most important sites of commerce and trade for the western continent. Vast wealth generated by St. Joseph’s manufacturing and wholesale trade is reflected in our city’s extraordinary architecture. Architects working here in the 19th century studied at the finest schools in Europe and America, such Paris’ Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Their works in St. Joseph reflect the heights of fashion and design of the 19th and early 20th centuries. St. Joseph’s early progressive attitude toward public improvements also shaped our community. We were among the earliest American cities to have electric telephone service, and electric streetcar system, and a municipal airport.

Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Missouri, near Mound City. Originally known as Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the name was changed to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge on January 11, 2017 in order to remove the derogatory word squaw from the name.

The refuge was established on August 23, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a refuge feeding and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge contains 7,440 acres along the eastern edge of the Missouri River floodplain, including wetlands, grasslands and forests. Overlooking the refuge from the east is the loess bluffs habitat, a geological formation of fine silt deposited after the past glacial period. These unique hills stretch from about 30 miles south of St. Joseph, Missouri, to extreme northern Iowa. Some of the last parcels of native plants, remnants of a once vast native prairie, can be found here. Loess, pronounced “luss,” soils support Missouri’s native prairie plants such as Indian grass, big bluestem, blazing star, yucca, beard-tongue and skeleton plant.