"Start of a great adventure " a Lewis And Clark State Memorial Park Travel Page by Toughluck

This Historic site has had to deal with several problems of historical accuracy over the years and they have done a great job.

1st, the Wood River Camp was located at the junction of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. That's where this site is, except that the Missouri's junction has moved south since the days of 1804. This is now the Dubois River area and Wood River is further north, probably under a shipping berth.

2nd, the camp would have been right along the river bank. That was more convenient for the explorers and made travel simpler. Of course, they were only staying until spring and then abandoning the camp. Therefore, spring floods and floods over the years were not a concern. Today, investing in buildings requires that we have levees to protect them. This has elimnated access to the river and a view of the river.

The park has solve this by creating the reproduction fort behind the levee for safety, yet providing a drive out to the river front so you can enjoy the scene that may have greeted Lewis and Clark each day.