The area around Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa (ne Kanesville) offers a rich experience of historical sites, public art, the National Park Service headquarters of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and a redeveloped riverfront that is a jewel. Visit the site of the “First Council” (spoiler alert – it is not Council Bluffs, IA), take a stroll over the Missouri River on “the Bob” pedestrian bridge, visit The Joslyn Museum, and drive our suggested route to see the Lewis and Clark Icon Sculpture Trail. So much to see and do. Enjoy your visit. Read the original 2005 […]
The Lewis & Clark Expedition did not tarry long in what is today the city of Portland, Oregon, but you can see there a unique artifact once owned by Meriwether Lewis, view some interpretation of the Expedition, use the City of Roses as a base for exploration up, down and across the Columbia River, and enjoy the wide variety of indoor and outdoor amenities a vibrant, eclectic city has to offer. (Image credit: Jon Kraft)
Explore the Falls of the Ohio, a key site in the Lewis and Clark story along the Ohio River near Louisville. Walk in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis, William and his brother George Rogers Clark while discovering the fossil beds at Falls of the Ohio State Park, historic Locust Grove, and Mulberry Hill. Pay tribute to York at the Ed Hamilton statue in Belvedere Plaza and visit Cave Hill Cemetery, where history comes to life. In 1778, Colonel George Rogers Clark established a fort at the Falls of the Ohio, a key western frontier outpost. Recognizing its strategic value, Virginia […]
Walk in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis as he bought supplies for the expedition in 1803. At the same time, experience the birth of the United States at key places in the Independence National Historic Park. The trip by foot is 2 miles long. (If you open this itinerary in Google, be sure to switch the travel method Walking.) At some of the sites, expect security checks.
On June 13, 1805, Capt. Meriwether Lewis encountered the Great Falls of the Missouri and knew that the left branch at Decision Point was the true Missouri River. Further exploration revealed that a total of five waterfalls in the area impeded the progress of the Corps of Discovery. A portage of tremendous difficulty would be required to bypass these falls. With steep canyon walls and with coulees breaking up the adjacent plains, it was not a simple matter of hauling goods out of the boats and carrying them along a trail close to the river. Capt. William Clark reconnoitered the […]
The confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers was an important geographic point passed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the fall of 1805. The Snake appeared on William Clark’s resulting map as Lewis’s River. The native Nez Perce called the Snake Kimooenim, meaning “the stream/place of the hemp weed,” and they termed the stretch upstream from the confluence with the Clearwater River, Pikúunen. The Clearwater was referred to as Koos-Koos-Kia, meaning “clear water,” and they called the confluence itself Tsceminicum, or “meeting of the waters.” French fur traders later gave the main waterway the name “Snake” when they […]
After leaving their first winter encampment at Camp Dubois across from St. Louis, Missouri on May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery under the direction of US Army Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made their way slowly but surely up the Missouri River. Day after day they fought the relentless current to make progress upstream averaging ten miles per day. As the weather began to get colder, they looked for a sensible place to establish their winter quarters. The Corps first encountered the Arikara (uh-RICK-uh-ruh) tribe living in three villages close by the mouth of the Grand River near […]
After leaving their first winter encampment at Camp Dubois across from St. Louis, Missouri on May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery under the direction of US Army Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made their way slowly but surely up the Missouri River. Day after day they fought the relentless current to make progress upstream averaging ten miles per day. As the weather began to get colder, they looked for a sensible place to establish their winter quarters. The Corps first encountered the Arikara (uh-RICK-uh-ruh) tribe living in three villages close by the mouth of the Grand River near […]
Hohenwald, meaning “High Forest” in German, is a picturesque town that serves as the county seat of Lewis County, Tennessee. This town, along with its surrounding area, plays a significant role in the Lewis and Clark story, as it is where Meriwether Lewis met his untimely death and is laid to rest. The Old Natchez Trace, a road of national importance, has played a pivotal role in American history, facilitating the westward expansion and the opening of the Western frontier. Today, the Meriwether Lewis Monument and grave in Lewis County, Tennessee, stand about 100 yards from the site of Grinder’s […]
St. Louis played a pivotal role in America’s westward expansion, a legacy embodied by the iconic Gateway Arch National Park. But there’s much more to explore beyond the Arch and a storied baseball tradition. Stand where the Missouri River meets the Mississippi, pay tribute at Bellefontaine Cemetery, the final resting place of William Clark and other notable figures, and take in breathtaking views from the top of the Arch. Visit Camp River Dubois, the official departure site of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, wander through Forest Park and the Missouri History Museum, and end your journey in historic St. Charles, […]