What better way to observe the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's magnificent journey than by retracing their route?
By JUDITH WARREN
Published October 19, 2003
[Photo: AP]
LEWIS and CLARK
Theirs was an epic journey, demanding more of the volunteers than even their self-proclaimed title, Corps of Discovery, foresaw. We show you how to retrace most of Lewis and Clark’s expedition from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Go to Louisiana Purchase series Go to Montana gallery
The Lewis and Clark Expedition - called by Lewis the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery - traced an epic journey to find and record the westward wonders of this country. Historians have described the expedition - the men pushed off from their Illinois base in May 1804 and returned in September 1806 - as the most important in American history and one of the most ambitious scientific expeditions of any nation. Its setting was among the outstanding scenic wonders of the world. Its members traversed over two-thirds of the continent.
Beginning at the Mississippi/Missouri rivers confluence near St. Louis, the expedition toiled up the Missouri before crossing the Great Plains, clambering over the magnificent Rocky Mountains, traversing the Idaho prairies, struggling down the Snake and Columbia river gorges, and culminating at the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Ore.
The following is a suggested two-week route for contemporary travelers to retrace the Lewis and Clark Trail. Be sure to call ahead. Some events and sites are staffed by volunteers, and hours of operation can change.
Day 1: Camp Dubois/Hartford, Ill., and St. Louis
This day focuses on two sites that will set the stage for following the explorers' path.
The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site Visitors Center, Hartford: This world-class interpretive center provides a splendid introduction to the launching point. It is near the site of Camp DuBois, the expedition's wintering place in 1803-04, which has been lost to the Missouri's shifting course. Exhibits, multimedia productions and a theater demonstrate how the expedition assembled equipment, supplies and men. A cutaway, full-sized replica of the corps' keelboat reveals hidden interior passages, storage compartments, living quarters and cargo. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; free. Allow two hours. Follow Illinois SR 3, 3.5 miles north of I-270. 618 251-5811. Web site: www.campdubois.com Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis: Beneath the city's famous arch, the Museum of Western Expansion exhibits focus on the expedition, the people it encountered, the process of diplomacy between the United States and American Indians, and the flora and fauna first described by expedition members. Open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day (summer hours), and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the year; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Allow three hours. (314) 655-1700. Web site: www.nps.gov/jeff/
Day 2: St. Louis to Kansas City, Mo.
This day's route, through beautiful hill country, retraces the expedition's shakedown cruise, during which the explorers gained familiarity with the Missouri River, its strong currents, its sandbars and snags.
Fort Osage National Historic Landmark, Sibley, Mo.: Clark returned in 1808 to build the fort as the first military outpost and government trade house in the Louisiana Purchase. Today's reconstructed fort is staffed by living history interpreters. Open daily, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April to November, weekends for the remainder of the year; fee. Allow one hour. Near Sibley, follow signs. 816 650-5737. Web site: www.historicfortosage.com
Day 3: Kansas City, Mo., to Sioux City, Iowa
This day's journey continues along the Missouri, with stops for a prairie walk and a historic trails museum.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, near Mound City, Mo.: This stop heralds the Great Plains; the forests begin to thin along the hills, and the land beyond the river flattens to the horizon. The short Loess Hills Trail behind the visitor center leads through a succession of oak, hickory and juniper to the crest of a ridge overlooking the floodplain of the Missouri. The small clearing of knee-high grass and wildflowers is one of the last remnants of Missouri's native prairie. Open daily 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; free. Allow one hour. I-29 exit 79, 2 miles west on U.S. 159. 660 442-3187. Web site: midwest.fws.gov/SquawCreek/. Western Historic Trails Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa: Dedicated to the commemoration, preservation and interpretation of national trail heritage, the center has some of the most inventive video and interactive exhibits related to the expedition, as well as the experiences of those who traveled the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. Open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m. summers, to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. Allow two hours minimum. 3434 Richard Downing Ave.; off 24th Street south of I-80 (Exit 1B). (712) 366-4900. Web site: www.iowahistory.org/sites/ Lewis and Clark Scenic and Historic Byway, north of Omaha, Neb.: This byway harks back to the days of trappers, traders, buffalo and American Indians, in a land of lakes, rivers and unspoiled terrain. Daily; no fee. Allow 1.25 hours. U.S. 75 north of Omaha.
Day 4: Sioux City, Iowa, to Pierre, S.D.
This day's journey continues on the High Plains, with stops to view a prehistoric mound, and in the much-changed landscape, a few remnants of the land as the expeditioners saw it.
Spirit Mound Historic Prairie, near Vermillion, S.D.: The explorers turned aside from the Missouri to hike to Spirit Mound to witness the supernatural creatures rumored to live there. What they found instead was "a most butifull landscape." The mound has been restored to its 1804 appearance. Daily, dawn to dusk; free. Allow one-half hour. Six miles north of Vermillion on SR 19. (605) 987-2263. Native American Scenic Byway, between Chamberlain and Pierre, S.D.: This byway crosses two Sioux Indian Reservations, past buffalo roaming the high plains, and the contrasting bottomlands, hills and bluffs along the Missouri. The Big Bend of the Missouri is one of the best known geographic features of the continent. Open daily; no fee. Allow 21/2 hours. SR 50 and 1806, north of Chamberlain.
Day 5: Pierre, S.D., to Bismark, N.D.
This day's journey on the High Plains includes a visit to a reconstructed Mandan village and a cruise on the Lewis and Clark riverboat.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, Mandan, N.D.: The On-A-Slant Indian Village site is sacred to the Mandan tribe and is noteworthy for its excellent costumed interpreters who relate Mandan lifestyle, culture, legends and ceremonies. The earth lodge replicas are typical of those used by the Mandan in the 17th to 18th centuries. The adjacent reconstructed Army post includes displays on the expedition's travels through the area, and the region's history of fur trade, railroads, homesteads and the military. Custer led his troops from the fort to the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Daily, 8 a.m. to dusk; guided tours daily April and October, 1-5 p.m.; May-September, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; allow two hours minimum. Seven miles south on SR 1806. (701) 667-6340. Web site: www.fortlincoln.com
Day 6: Bismark, N.D., to Williston, N.D.
This day's journey focuses on High Plains American Indian cultural and expedition sites. The route marks the transition from the smoothly rolling High Plains to the buttes, coulees and rugged gulches of northern North Dakota and Montana.
North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn, N.D.: Focusing on the interaction between the explorers and native peoples, the center interprets all the major themes of the expedition, enhanced by music the explorers enjoyed, hands-on demonstrations and interpretive programs. Its treasures include President Jefferson's original letter of instructions to the expedition, the letter Lewis sent back to Jefferson after their winter sojourn at nearby Fort Mandan, and one of only four complete sets of Karl Bodmer's prints of life along the Missouri River in the early 1800s. Open daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. in summer, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for the rest of the year; adults, $5, students, $3; fee includes admission to Fort Mandan. Allow two hours, minimum. U.S. 83 and SR 200A. 701 462-8535. Fort Mandan Reconstruction, Fort Mandan, N.D.: This full-scale copy of the expedition's 1804-05 winter fort includes costumed living history interpreters and re-enactors for special events. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in summer. Allow one hour minimum. On CR 17, 21/2 miles west of U.S. 83. (701) 462-8535. Web site: www.fortmandan.com
Day 7: Williston, N.D., to Fort Benton, Mont.
The day's journey includes stops at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, the Missouri Breaks, and then a long drive to Fort Benton and its waterfront.
Upper Missouri River Breaks, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, near Roy, Mont.: a pleasant excursion to see the Missouri River along the Missouri Breaks (Badlands) as it was in 1805, on a 20-mile auto tour that features spectacular vistas of the Missouri Breaks, some of the wildest prairie habitat left in the country, and frequent views of deer, pronghorn antelope, grouse and elk. Open daily; no fee. Allow two hours. Tour starts 55 miles south of Malta, Mont., off U.S. 191, and ends just one-half mile north of the Missouri on U.S. 191.
Day 8: Fort Benton, Mont., to Helena, Mont.
Highlights this day include the Great Falls of the Missouri, a buffalo jump and a boat cruise through spectacular mountain scenery.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls, Mont.: The multimillion-dollar center on the bluffs overlooking Black Eagle Falls offers one of the most comprehensive interpretations of the expedition and its legacy, with particular emphasis on native cultures.
The center also explores the plants and animals first documented by the expedition, and the explorers' validation that an all-water route to the Pacific (the Northwest Passage) was impossible. Ken Burns' and Dayton Duncan's film introduces the multimedia and hands-on exhibits that make this a must-see stop. Open daily, Memorial Day weekend-Sept. 30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Oct. 1-Memorial Day weekend, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday and closed on Mondays. Center will close Oct. 20 through Jan. 31, 2004, for modifications. Adults, $5, students and seniors, $4. Allow two hours minimum. Three miles east of U.S. 87 at 4201 Giant Springs Road in Giant Spring Heritage State Park. (406) 727-8733.
Ulm Pishkun State Park, near Ulm, Mont.: For more than 1,000 years, American Indians hunted buffalo by driving them over the cliffs at this buffalo jump, probably the largest in the world. Below the milelong cliffs the compacted buffalo bones are nearly 13 feet thick. The park provides a panoramic view of the Missouri and the expedition's route toward the distant mountains. Open daily, dawn to dusk; visitor center open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in summer, to 4 p.m. for the rest of the year. Allow one hour, minimum. Off I-15 at exit 270, 6 miles northwest on Ulm-Vaughn Road. (406) 866-2217. Gates of the Mountain Boat Tour, near Helena, Mont.: Named "Gates of the Rocky Mountains" by Lewis, the 1,200-foot-tall limestone cliffs awed the expedition members, as at each bend in the waterway, the great walls seemed to block passage, only to open like giant gates as the expedition drew near. The two-hour cruise provides the same views seen by the expedition: soaring cliffs, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, vultures and falcons, eagles, otters, deer and other wild creatures. Tours daily, May-Sept.; adults $9.50, seniors, $8.50, students, $6. Call for departure times. Allow two hours minimum. On I-15, 17 miles north from Helena. (406) 458-5241.
Day 9: Helena to Missoula, Mont.
This day's journey includes stops at the headwaters of the Missouri, then crosses the Continental Divide and passes through the impressive Bitterroot Valley.
Missouri Headwaters State Park, Three Forks, Mont.: Little has changed at this site where the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers join to form the Missouri River. Here, Sacajawea was kidnapped from her tribe by the Hidatsa Indians. The elevated promontory Lewis called Fort Rock provides an overview of the headwaters, a scenic trail, and exhibits on the importance of the area to Indians, trappers, traders and settlers. Open daily; $5 for nonresidents; camping available May 1-Sept. 30. Allow one hour minimum. Three miles east of Three Forks on I-90, then east on Secondary 205, then north 3 miles on Secondary 286. (406) 994-4042. Lemhi Pass National Historic Landmark, near Grant, Mont.: This is the only pass in the main range of the Rockies that both Lewis and Clark crossed, and it was here that their hopes of an easy passage to the Pacific were crushed as they saw immense ranges of mountains ahead of them. On the eastern side of the pass, Lewis dubbed the head of Trail Creek "the most distant fountain of the mighty Missouri," while a short distance down the western slope, the expedition members drank from a creek that flowed into the Columbia. Daily, but the road may not be passable in winter. No fee. Allow two hours. On Montana SR 324 10 miles west of Grant, 2 miles north on FR 3909 to fork, take left fork for 10 miles.
Lost Trail Pass, Montana and Idaho: The pass over the Continental Divide marks some of the most rugged, steep, rocky terrain and underbrush through which the expedition passed. Open daily; no fee. U.S. 93.
Day 10: Missoula, Mont., to Lewiston, Idaho
This day's journey retraces the expedition's final passage over the Continental Divide at Lolo Pass, and then roughly follows their course down the western slope of the Rockies, a trek described by Stephen Ambrose as "one of the great forced marches in American history."
U.S. 12 through the Bitterroots, Montana and Idaho: This route offers breathtaking scenery set in a sea of mountains. Daily; no fee. Allow three hours.
Weippe Prairie, Nez Perce National Historic Park, Weippe, Idaho: This site records the expedition's fortuitous meeting with the Nez Perce, who supplied the starving men with food and shelter. Open daily; no fee. From Weippe, south on Fourth Street, 0.4 miles past the Weippe Cemetery. Turn left (east) on the side road and drive another 0.4 miles to the site.
Nez Perce National Historic Park Visitor Center, Spaulding, Idaho: The center interprets the cultural and social history of the Nez Perce and their ancestors in this area since 9,000 B.C. Many items date from expedition times, including an original Jefferson Peace medal presented by Lewis. Open daily 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in summer, to 4:30 p.m. for the rest of the year; free. Allow one hour, minimum. U.S. 95 near Clearwater and Potlatch Rivers. 208 843-2261. Web site: www.nps.gov/nepe
Day 11: Lewiston, Idaho, to The Dalles, Ore.
This day's journey marks the change from the mountains to the arid prairies and deep canyons of eastern Washington and Oregon, and on to the much-changed Columbia River gorge.
Lewis and Clark Trail State Park, Dayton, Wash.: This park is known for its innovative living history events, especially on the medical aspects of the expedition. Open daily; fee. Five miles west on Dayton on U.S. 12. 509 337-6457. Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Museum, The Dalles, Ore.: It features extensive exhibits and living history interpretations on geology, American Indian culture, natural history, the Oregon Trail and the expedition. Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; adults, $6.50, seniors, $5.50, children ages 6-16, $3. Allow two hours, minimum. 5000 Discovery Drive, off U.S. 30, 3 miles west of The Dalles. (541) 296-8600. Web site: www.gorgediscovery.org
Day 12: The Dalles to the Pacific Ocean
This day's journey retraces the final leg of the expedition's journey to the Pacific.
Beacon Rock State Park, North Bonneville, Wash.: The site marks the end of the expedition's difficult portage around the now-drowned Cascades of the Columbia, a 10-mile series of rapids caused by an ancient, massive landslide. The milelong trail up a series of switchbacks to the top of Beacon Rock, the core of an old volcano, provides magnificent vistas of the Columbia Gorge and the Cascade Mountains. Open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m. in the summer; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. Allow one hour. Three miles west on SR 14. 509 427-8265. Fort Canby State Park, Ilwaco, Wash.: This site at Cape Disappointment marks the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River, and has many locales described in the expedition's journals. The interpretive center's multimedia exhibits examine the expedition's medical treatments, food, entertainment, discipline and tribal impacts. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; donations. Allow one hour, minimum. Off U.S. 101, 21/2 miles southwest. (360) 642-3078. Web site: www.fortcanby.org Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Astoria, Ore.: The reconstructed fort marks the 1805-06 site where the expedition wintered, complete with furnished rooms staffed with costumed interpreters. It is one of the nation's finest expedition museums, touching on the major themes: historical context, preparations, weapons, Indian diplomacy, mapping and natural history observations. Daily 8 a.m.-6 p.m. in summer, to 5 p.m. rest of the year; admission fee. Allow one hour, minimum. Five miles southwest, near U.S. 101. (503) 861-2471, ext. 214. Web site: www.nps.gov/focl - Judith Warren is a freelance writer living in Eureka, Calif.
If you go
To plan your own expedition, consult these resources:
BOOKS:
Ambrose, Stephen E. Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery, National Geographic Society. 1998. $35 Superb photos and Ambrose at his best.
Duncan, Dayton and Burns, Ken. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, an Illustrated History, Knopf. 1998. $25 A companion to Ken Burns' PBS documentary film.
Fanselow, Julie. Traveling the Lewis & Clark Trail, Falcon Publishing. Bicentennial edition, 2003. $15.95 A very practical guide to retracing the expedition's route.
Fifer, Barbara and Soderberg, Vicky. Along the Trail with Lewis and Clark, Montana Magazine. 2001. $19.95. Includes historical highlights, excellent color maps, sightseeing and accommodations - my personal favorite.
Schmidt, Thomas. The Lewis and Clark Trail, National Geographic Society. 2002. $16. Great descriptions, wonderful maps and typically National Geographic.
VIDEO:
Burns, Ken. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. PBS Home Video. 1997. $24.98. The whole story, start to finish, with marvelous photography, and must-see viewing for anyone who retraces the expedition's route.
The books noted above include maps, and the National Park Service has just published a map and guide to the Lewis and Clark Trail. The map includes the outgoing and return voyages, notes a number of attractions and includes a timeline for 1803-1806. There is a $3 charge for postage and handling. Make the check or money order out to the not-for-profit support organization, the National Park Society, 5335 Whip Trail, Colorado Springs, CO 80917-2670.
