Lewis & Clark - St. Charles, MO

Day 2, We were picked up at our RV Park by the local “trolley” to take us to downtown St. Charles for the Lewis and Clark Hertage Day Festival.

We started with a tour of the First State Capitol Building and were greeted by a wonderful tour guide who explained how Missouri became a state. Apparently the President would not allow them to become a state because he didn’t agree with their constitution. They didn’t care and continued to say they were a state. A few years later, they changed their constitution so that the President would finally grant them stateship and then a few years later passed a law allowing what they had to take out of their constitution for the President’s approval. They figured the President could not change their laws….. We viewed the Lewis & Clark museum, the Keel boat replica, and then joined in the celebration of the Lewis & Clark Heritage Festival. We spent the afternoon wandering around the authentic reenactment of Lewis & Clark’s encampment in 1804, including a parade with the Fife & Drum Corps. We later learned the great, great, great grandson of Clark, Charlie Clark pictured below, led the men who participated in the actual reenactment of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. We were so lucky to talk to so many of the actual participants of the reenactment who told us of the uncanny similarities of their trip and the original trip. The participants have formed camaraderie that is so strong and a bond that will last forever.

We met Josh, below who is a direct descendant of George Shannon, who was the youngest member of the original Lewis & Clark expedition. He was only 17 years old when he participated in the reenactment. He finished high school 2 years earlier so that he could participate. He was one of our favorite characters. Before we left town, we visited the church where the original expedition said prayers before leaving on their trip. You will notice that the log cabin with vertical logs as opposed to the usual way of laying logs.