| Springfield sits atop a bluff overlooking Lewis and Clark Lake of the Missouri River. The Corps of Discovery passed through this area in September of 1804. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark along with more than 30 crew members traveled 8,000 miles over two years. They packed more than 7 ton of food for the trip. President Thomas Jefferson called for the journey to explore the Missouri River and a passageway to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark painstakingly recorded their journey, as did other members of the expedition. They reported the scientific descriptions of 178 plants and 122 animals never before accounted. They discovered the unknown over thousands of miles. More than 200 schoolchildren awaited the arrival of the Triumphant Return of the White Pirogue in Springfield in October of 2001. A crew of 12 Lewis and Clark re-enactors provided a colorful story of early America's discovery into the west. The white pirogue brings to life the history surrounding the boat the L&C Expedition left at Great Falls, Montana on its way west in 1803. The Corps recovered the boat on its return to St. Louis in 1806. Butch Bouvier of L & C Reproductions built the replica boat that traveled from Pickstown to Sioux City, with stops in Lynch, Niobrara, Springfield, Yankton, Adams Nature Preserve and the Marina Inn. Springfield looks forward to commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the years ahead. We invite you to create your own expedition to Springfield. |
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