On the banks of the Missouri River, approximately twenty-eight miles upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River, lays the city of Saint Charles. It was originally called “Les Petite Cotes (or, The Little Hills)” by the early French Canadian inhabitants. St. Charles was the final rendezvous point for the Lewis and Clark expedition. It was from St. Charles on May 21, 1804, that Captains Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery started their journey into the wild unknown territories of what was to become the western United States.

From its beginnings as a small trading and fur post on the Missouri River, St. Charles grew into a city of 65,00 inhabitants. St. Charles was a gateway town to the West and served as the first state capital of Missouri. Additionally, St. Charles became the final home of famed Kentucky frontiersman Daniel Boone.

The Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center is a multi-purpose center taking visitors back in time to the westward trek of Lewis and Clark. It provides insight into the local flora and fauna, Native American culture, and life in the early territory. The Boat House has five complete reconstructions of the water craft used during the voyage of discovery. One of the Center's unique offerings are four half-sized buildings showing the architectural styles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Yearly, during the third weekend in May, there is a Lewis and Clark re-enactment on the waterfront in the City of St. Charles.

Call (636) 947-3199 or visit http://www.lewisandclarkcenter.org/ for more information concerning operating hours, fees, directions, etc.

Credits and Sources:

Content for this Next Exit History site sponsored by the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. For more information visit http://lewisandclark.org/.

Allen, Paul. History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark. New York/Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep, 1814.

Ambrose, Stephen E. Undaunted Courage; Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbooks, 1996.

Brooks, Noah. First Across the Continent; The Story of the Exploring Expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804-5-6. Project Gutenberg, 2013.

City of St. Charles. City of St. Charles, Missouri. 2013. http:www.stcharlescitymo.gov (accessed May 18, 2014).

Lewis, Meriwether, and Et Al. The Journals of Lewis and Clark 1804-1806. Project Gutenberg, 2013.

Lighton, William R. Lewis and Clark; Meriwether Lewis and WIlliam Clark. Boston/New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1905.

Rediscovering Lewis and Clark. The Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center. 2008. http://www.lewisandclarkcenter.org (accessed May 22, 2014).

The Greater St. Charles CVB. Historic St. Charles. 2014. http://www.historicstcharles.com (accessed May

Researched and written by Paul Ernest and Moni Boling, Public History Graduate Students, University of West Florida, 2014.