Boone's Lick State Historic Site [MO]

Description

In 1804, Lewis and Clark reported the presence of many saltwater springs in the area that now comprises Howard, Cooper, and Saline counties. The largest of these salt springs was the Boone's Lick. The area around this spring was ideal for settlement and for many years "Boone's Lick Country" was a primary destination for pioneers moving west. Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone, formed a partnership with James and Jesse Morrison in 1805 to produce salt. Brine water was poured into iron kettles and heated to boiling on a stone furnace. As the water evaporated, salt crystallized in the bottom of the kettle. The salt was shipped by keelboat on the Missouri River to St. Louis. Salt, which was indispensable at the time for preserving meat and tanning hides, was produced at the site until approximately 1833. Today, the 52-acre site features picnic facilities and a short trail that winds its way to the spring site, where wood remnants of the salt works and an iron kettle are still visible. Outdoor exhibits interpret this unique saltwater environment and center of frontier industry. Artifacts from the salt manufacturing industry were excavated at the site, and some are on display at the Arrow Rock State Historic Site visitor center in Arrow Rock.

The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.

Lewis and Clark: Maps of Exploration 1507-1814

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Logo, Lewis & Clark, The Maps of Exploration
Annotation

This 1995 exhibition presents approximately 70 maps designed to help "understand [Thomas] Jefferson's views of the West and the nature of the quest to the Pacific," and to "show the evolution of cartographic knowledge of North America up to the time that [Meriwether] Lewis and [William] Clark set out."

Arranged into five sections, it treats the period from the arrival of Columbus in North America to Lewis and Clark's 1803 voyage.

Well-written background essays describe relevant monographs and journals, explain the role of technology in mapmaking, and elucidate the social and intellectual contexts of Western exploration.

The site, which offers both European and American perspectives, also furnishes eight related links and a 31-title bibliography.

Particularly useful for understanding the evolution of geographic knowledge about North America and for tracing the history of cartography during this period.

Envisaging the West: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of Lewis and Clark

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Image for Envisaging the West: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of Lewis and Clark
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By the time Thomas Jefferson became the third President of the United States in 1801, interest in exploring the West had begun to shape U.S. policy. This chronological narrative traces Jefferson's life, participation in politics, and accumulation of scientific geographical knowledge from 1735 to 1804. There are four main sections: "The Jeffersons and Their Frontier Virginia Neighborhood," "From Colony to Commonwealth," "Science and Statecraft at Home and Abroad," and "Public Servant to the Early Republic."

This narrative is accompanied by an archive of 169 letters, statues, books, treaties, maps, and journals providing primary source insight into Jefferson's thoughts about the West and the Lewis and Clark expedition in particular. Three interactive maps from the 1700s, overlaid with historical data about cities, private dwellings, natural features, courthouses, and waterways, provide important insight into the geographic and social environment at the time.

Cape Disappointment State Park and Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center

Description

Cape Disappointment State Park is a 1,882-acre camping park on the Long Beach Peninsula, fronted by the Pacific Ocean. The park offers 27 miles of ocean beach, two lighthouses (the North Head Lighthouse and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse), the Victorian Colbert House Museum, an interpretive center, and hiking trails. Visitors enjoy beachcombing and exploring the area's rich natural and cultural history. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center stands high on the cliffs of the park, 200 feet above the pounding Pacific surf. A series of mural-sized "timeline" panels guides visitors through the westward journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition using sketches, paintings, photographs, and the words of Corps members themselves. The center also features short film presentations, a gift shop and a glassed-in observation deck with views of the river, headlands, and sea. Additional displays focus on local maritime and military history.

The park offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

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Logo, Lewis and Clark, The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
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A PBS companion site for the film The Journey of the Corps of Discovery by Ken Burns. The site contains brief biographies of members of the expedition, historical sketches of the Native American tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark, a semi-searchable selection of transcribed journal excerpts from seven expedition members, over 800 minutes of unedited interviews with scholars and other specialists, over 30 links to related websites, a bibliography, and an interactive story section.

The site also offers teaching resources, including lesson plans and printable activity sheets, as well as a video interview and email forum with filmmaker Ken Burns. An easily navigated site.

The Journeys of Lewis and Clark

Description

Many Americans think Lewis and Clark were sent west simply to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was part of an international contest to control North America and exploit its wealth and an important part of Thomas Jefferson's plan for the development of the United States and the future of its Native American population.

Dr. Dan Thorp of Virginia Tech explores the nature of earlier European activities in the North American West and how they shaped the timing and nature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.