Keelboat voyage on Missouri River in October will teach about the Lewis & Clark Expedition

From Omaha to Kaw Point and stops between, Keelboat voyage on Missouri River in October will teach about the Lewis & Clark Expedition

History buffs, students of all ages, families, and others who want to have a fun and free way to learn more about the 1803-06 Lewis and Clark Expedition and local history will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity from October 3 to October 14 at locations along the Missouri River. A full-sized replica of the explorers’ keelboat, crewed by living-history re-enactors, will make its way 121 miles down the Missouri River, stopping along the way on these dates and at these locations:

• October 3: The keelboat will arrive by a semi-truck in Omaha, where it will be on display within Lewis & Clark Landing at The River Front in The River Front Plaza, just south of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail’s Visitor Center.
• October 4-5: The keelboat—along with the living-history re-enactors from the keelboat’s crew of members from the Lewis Clark Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, Mo., will be available at The River Front from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Omaha. This will be part of the National Park Service’s first Lewis and Clark Expo!, a free family-friendly event where people can learn about the history of Lewis and Clark Expedition and its impact on the western expansion of the United States.
• October 6: The keelboat will be moved by truck early in the morning to its next destination, Bellevue, Neb.
• October 6-7: The boat will be moored in the river at Bellevue and be available for the public to visit and talk with the re-enactors.
• October 7: The boat will leave Bellevue to float down the river to Nebraska City, Neb. The crew of re-enactors will camp for two nights at the replica of the Fort Camp Dubois at the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center.
• October 8: The crew and boat will be available to the public at the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center in Nebraska City.
• October 9: The crew and boat will depart Nebraska City on October 9 and float downriver to Rulo, Neb., where the public will be able to visit the boat and the re- enactors.
• October 10: The boat and crew will depart Rulo on October 10 and head for Atchison, Kansas.
• October 10-13: The keelboat will arrive on October 10 at Atchison, Kansas. The boat will be tied up at the Veterans Memorial, Commercial and River Road, in the Veterans Memorial Park, part of the Riverfront Park complex. The keelboat and the re-enactors will be available to the public until October 13.
• October 13: The boat will move downriver from Atchison to the historic Lewis and Clark Riverfront Park at Kaw Point, a riverside park in Kansas City, Kansas. The start time for the public to visit is 5 p.m. Kaw Point is the area where the Lewis and Clark explorers camped from June 26 to June 29, 1804, at the confluence of the Missouri and Kaw rivers.
• October 14: The keelboat and re-enactors will be at the riverfront park at Kaw Point—but leaving at noon—and available to the public.

The crew of living-history re-enactors will be replicating the Lewis and Clark period in history by wearing uniforms, leathers, and other period clothing. They will teach about the expedition, carry firelocks, cook over open campfires, sleep under canvas tents, and portray the lifestyle of the explorers as closely as is possible in our modern world.

The Missouri River journey is presented by the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum in St. Charles. The re-enactors are members of the Lewis & Clark Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, which operates the Boat House and Museum. The group has more than 100 re-enactors who teach heritage through living history. About 40 volunteers are involved in planning and executing the river expedition.

The handcrafted keelboat is a one-of-a-kind replica constructed by St. Charles resident Glen Bishop based on drawings by William Clark, who with Meriwether Lewis led the expedition. The keelboat replica and replicas of two pirogues (long canoes) used by the explorers took 16,000 volunteer hours to build. Clark’s drawings, by the way, are safeguarded in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Several films and documentaries about the expedition have showcased the three crafts. When not appearing in events or reenactments, they are displayed at the Museum and Boat House in St. Charles, Mo. The pirogues will not be along on the keelboat’s early October journey.

“The keelboat’s journey down the Missouri River will provide genuine living history and experiences for the public,” said Robert Foster, the Boat House and Museum executive director. “This river expedition offers a one-of-a-kind learning experience that will help schoolchildren, families and even historians better understand the importance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in leading the way for our country’s westward expansion.”

Thanks to our Friends and Supporters for making the trip possible:

National Park Service
Lewis & Clark Trust
Back to the River
City of Bellevue Parks Department
Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, Nebraska City
City of Atchison
River Rat Campground (Rulo)
Friends of Kaw Point Park
Mouth of the Platte Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Southern Prairie Region of the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Riverbend Chapter of the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance
Kiewit Luminarium (MECA)
Nebraska City Camp Ground, Roger Winsor, Manager
Nebraska City Parks Department
Nebraska City Marina
Karen Seaberg [Atchison]
Wyandotte County Parks Department [Kansas City, KS]
Platte County Visitor’s Bureau [Missouri]
Kansas City, Kansas Fairfax Industrial District
Kansas City, Kansas Downtown Shareholders
Gary & Louise Hicks

Article by Gary Kimsey, Board Member and Volunteer Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance