Missouri Town 1855

Missouri Town is not a location that represents something that Lewis and Clark experienced on their Corps of Discovery journey.  It sounds like a fun place to visit and have some experiences.

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/content/7880/7890/7994/default.aspx

Missouri Town 1855 is located:
Fleming Park
8010 E Park Road
Lee's Summit, Missouri

Hours are:
March 1-November 15:  Tuesday-Sunday 9:00am to 4:30 pm
November 16-February 28:  Weekends only 9:00am to 4:30 pm

Admissions:  Adult $5
                    Children (5-13) $3
                    Seniors (62+) $3

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/content/7880/7890/7994/default.aspx

From the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department's Historic Sites Teacher's Guide

Missouri Town 1855 is a collection of original mid-19th century structures carefully relocated from seven western Missouri counties to one site.   Over twenty-five period building including houses with barns and outbuildings, a one-room schoolhouse, church, tavern, lawyer's office, blacksmith shop and a livery stable depict a typical antebellum farming community.  Living history interpreters, in 19th century attire, bring the site to life by portraying the daily routies of village residents.

Other references for Missouri Town 1855

Missouri Town 1855

Map of Missouri Town 1855

Society of Friends of Missouri Town

Flemming Park

Fort Osage, Lesson Plans

The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department has a Historic Sites Teacher's Guide that highlights lessons to teach at Fort Osage National Historic Landmark and Missouri Town 1855.

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/fortosage/

The Lesson plans include ideas for things to do before visiting the park, things to do at the park, and things to do after your visit.

Pre-visit activities include; doing school work without electricity and learning about non-refrigerated foods.  There is also a great vocabulary list to study.

For activities to do at the park, included are questions to ask the interpreters at the park, such as the differences between jobs in frontier times and current times and the experiences of living at a frontier outpost.

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/fortosage/

After visiting the park, the activities include using descriptive writing to write a summary of their experiences or a letter to family about the trip.  Make a memory trip about what senses you used and what they were, and discuss time capsules and what students would put in them.

In the Teachers Guide, there is also a list of additional resources for further study.

Fort Osage National Historic Landmark

This site was noted on the Corps of Discovery journey by Clark, he noted "a high commanding position, more than 70 feet above high-water mark, and overlooking the river, which is here but of little depth." Making this a suitable location for a future fort.   

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/fortosage/

The Fort Osage National Historic Landmark is run by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

It is located at:
107 Osage Street
Sibley, Missouri
(816)650-5737


Hours are:
Yearround -   Tuesday-Sunday 9:00am to 4:30 pm

Admissions:  Adult $7
                    Children (5-13) $4
                    Seniors (62+) $3

Picture from http://www.jacksongov.org/fortosage/

From the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department's Historic Sites Teacher's Guide

Under the direction of William Clark, joint commander of the Lewis and Clark expedition, soldiers began construction of the Fort in 1808 to serve several purposes.  It functioned as one of the first Federal outposts in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, housing soldiers to guard the new territory and to protect the trading post located there.  

Other references about Fort Osage National Historic Landmark:

Fort Osage National Historic Monument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Osage

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/lewisandclark/osa.htm

June 9, 1804

On June 9, the Corps of Discovery passed Arrow Rock. 
Journal entry by Clark

a fair morning, the River rise a little    we got fast on a Snag Soon after we Set out which detained us a Short time    passed the upper Point of the Island    Several Small Chanels running out of the River below a 〈Bluff〉 [NB: cliff of rocks called the arrow rock][4] & Prarie (Called the Prariee of Arrows) where the river is confined within the width of 〈300〉 [NB: 200] yds.    Passed a Creek of 8 yds. wide Called Creek of Arrows, this Creek is Short and heads in the Praries on the L. S.    passed a Small Creek Called Blackbird Creek S. S. and One Islands below & a Prarie above on the L. S.    a Small Lake above the Prarie—    opposit the Lower point of the 2d. Island on the S. S. we had like to have Stove our boat, in going round a Snag her Stern Struck a log under Water & She Swung round on the Snag, with her broad Side to the Current expd. to the Drifting timber, by the active exertions of our party we got her off in a fiew Mints. without engerey and Crossed to the Island where we Campd.    our hunters lay on the S. S.    the Perogue Crossed without Seeing them & the banks too uncertain to Send her over—    Some wind from the S accompanied with rain this evening—    The Lands on the S. S. is a high rich bottom    the L. S. appears oven [open?] and of a good quallity runing gradually to from fifty to 100 foot.

Journal entry by Whitehouse

Satery 9    Got on our way at the usal hour    roed. 7 miles    Stopd to take dinner at the End of a large Island above the arrow prarie    the distance from the latter to the River Charrotte River[7] is 14 miles    the hunters did Not Come 〈in〉 as the Storm was Great [illegible, crossed out]    the peirouge Could not Cross for them    Roed 15 Miles

Journal entries from:

Lewis, Meriwether, Clark, William, et al. September 4, 1806. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Ed. Gary Moulton. Lincoln: U of Nebraska Press, 2002.The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 2005. U of Nebraska Press / U of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries-Electronic Text Center. 5 Oct. 2005 .

Bellefontaine Cemetery - William Clark's Gravesite

This photo of Bellefontaine Cemetery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

One stop on the trip would be visiting William Clark's Gravesite in Bellefontaie Cemetery in St. Louis.

http://bellefontainecemetery.org/timeline/general-william-clark-1770-1838/

The cemetery is open daily from 8am to 5pm and is free to visit.

This photo of Bellefontaine Cemetery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Lesson Plans, Old Courthouse

Teaching with Historical Places

The Old Courthouse in St. Louis

Jefferson National Memorial and Museum of Westward Expansion

This photo of Gateway Arch with the Old Courthouse in the background  is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Gateway Arch is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Jefferson National Memorial
Museum of Westward Expansion
Old Courthouse

The following information is taken form the National Park Service's website.

Attractions	Adults (16 & up)	Children (3-15)	National Park Passport
Tram:	$10.00	$5.00	$7.00
Movie:	$7.00	$2.50	$4.00
Riverboat:	$14.00	$8.00*	$14.00
Tram & Movie:	$14.00	$7.50	$11.00
Tram & Riverboat:	$24.00	$13.00	$21.00

Each adult tram or movie ticket includes a $3 National Park entrance fee. Ticket prices and hours are subject to change.

Hours
The Old Courthouse is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free.

Winter HoursFor most of the year, the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The first tram to the top of the Arch departs at 9:50 AM and the last tram of the day departs at 4:50 PM. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Summer HoursThe remainder of the year from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Arch and Museum are open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The trams to the top of the Arch run from 8:15 a.m. to 9:10 p.m. Visitors wanting to avoid the busy late-morning and mid-day periods should take advantage of the less crowded evening hours to visit the Gateway Arch.

Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower

The Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. 

Located at 435 Confluence Tower Drive, Hartford, Illinois

Hours of Operation:

Friday – Saturday 9:30-5:00 (last tour at 4:30)

Sunday 12:00 – 5:00 (last tour at 4:30)

Admissions:

Adults $4

Children $2

Gateway Geyser, Illinois

Gateway Geyser is located in the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park.
Some facts from their website http://www.meprd.org/gatewaygeyser.html

By the Numbers
Powered by three 800-horsepower pumps, the Gateway Geyser can blast 8,000 gallons of water a minute.

Each eruption of the Gateway Geyser lasts approximately 10 minutes (wind/weather permitting).

When the wind is less than 4 mph, the Gateway Geyser reaches a maximum height of 600 feet into the sky, matching the height of the Gateway Arch.

Four smaller fountains that erupt 100 feet into the air surround the main geyser, symbolizing the Mississippi, Missouri, Meramec and Illinois rivers.

The Gateway Geyser is the world's second tallest fountain, it is second to King Fahd's Fountain in Saudi Arabia which reaches a height of 853 feet.
Gateway Geyser Schedule
April 15th thru October 15th - Daily (12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM)
October 16th thru April 14th - No eruptions are scheduled during these dates.

Wood River, Illinois

The first stop on our journey following the Lewis and Clark Trail will be Camp Dubois in Wood River, Illinois.  And rightfully so, as Captain Meriwether Lewis wrote, on May 14, 1804, "The mouth of the River Dubois is to be considered the point of departure."

Great information from woodriver.org http://woodriver.org/community/history/corpsofdiscovery.htm
Camp Dubois was built to serve as the winter camp for the Corps of Discovery.  Being an U.S. Army Unit, the Camp maintained the strict daily routines of other military camps. 
From Wikipedia

Camp Dubois (English: Camp Wood), near present day Wood River, Illinois, served as the winter camp for theLewis and Clark Expedition from December 12, 1803, to May 14, 1804.
Founded at the confluence Riviere du Bois (Wood River), it was located on the east side of the Mississippi River so that it was still in United States territory. This was important because the transfer of the Louisiana Purchase to France from Spain did not occur until March 9, 1804, and then from France to the United States on March 10, 1804. They returned again to the camp on their return journey on September 23, 1806.^[1][2]
William Clark arrived at Camp Dubois first with a group of men that he recruited from Kaskaskia and Fort Massac on December 12, 1803. Captain Meriwether Lewis joined the camp several weeks later after gathering as much information about Upper Louisiana and the west from Cahokia, Kaskaskia, St. Louis and other locations. Also during this time, Lewis took the opportunity to smooth relations with the Spanish authorities to make the transfer of the Louisiana Purchase easier.
Camp Dubois was a fully operating military camp. Soldiers stationed at the camp were required to participate in training, maintain personal cleanliness, police the camp and other duties spelled out by the United States military. They had inspections, marched, stood guard duty and hunted to supplement their military rations. Sergeant John Ordway was in charge of the camp during periods in which both Lewis and Clark were away.^[3]
On May 14, 1804, the Expedition, under Clark's command, left Camp River Dubois on the east side of the Mississippi River and sailed up the Missouri River.
The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site has been established south of the actual winter camp site of the Expedition in Hartford, Illinois. The Site contains a museum center and reconstructed replica of Camp Dubois.^[4]

National Park Service Resources

The National Park Service has a wealth of information about some fantastic sites.
There are Junior Ranger programs for kids to get more from their experience at the parks.  Last summer, my kids began collecting Junior Ranger badges and had a great time doing it.  We are hoping to earn badges along this trip.

Parks that offer Junior Ranger programs are listed here.

We hope to visit the following parks along our trip:

Park	State	Notes
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial	Missouri	Lewis and Clark
Knife River Indian Villages NHS	North Dakota	Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark NH Park	Oregon, Washington	Lewis and Clark
Missouri National Recreation River	South Dakota, Nebraska	Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark NH Trail	Various	Lewis and Clark
Badlands	South Dakota	Travel to Trail
Minuteman Missile NHS	South Dakota	Travel to Trail
Mt. Rushmore NM	South Dakota	Travel to Trail
Wind Cave NP	South Dakota	Travel to Trail
Nez Perce NHP	Idaho	Extra
Pipestone National Monument	Minnesota	Extra
Harry S Truman NHM	Missouri	Extra
Ulysses S Grant NH Site	Missouri	Extra
Santa Fe NH Trail	Missouri, Kansas	Extra
Big Hole National Battlefield	Montana	Extra
Fort Vancouver	Oregon, Washington	Extra
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield	Missouri	Out of the Way
Homestead NM	Nebraska	Out of the Way
Theodore Roosevelt NP	North Dakota	Out of the Way