Winter Camp at Wood River

Part of the historical engineering of the Mississippi River includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lock and Dam 25, which helps maintain year-round commercial transportation on the river.

USACE

While Lewis stayed in St. Louis, Clark and the rest of the expedition built Camp Dubois where the Wood River joined the Mississippi, living there for five months during the winter of 1803–1804. Originally, the camp was located on the east bank of the Mississippi, in present-day Illinois. With the subsequent movement of the Mississippi River, the location of their campsite now sits on the western bank in Missouri.13

Higher average and peak temperatures have led to wetter springs and summer droughts in this area, with ecological and economic consequences. Channelization and engineering structures, such as dams and levees, have been used to stabilize the river and promote commercial transportation. However, greater rainfall due to climate change still increases the risk of flooding, threatening the urban infrastructure that has developed along the river since the expedition stayed here. In 2011, record flooding closed navigation on a long stretch of the river and caused over $3.5 million in damages to property and agriculture.14

Citations:
13 NPS, “Winter Camp at Wood River,” Pittsburgh to the Pacific: High Potential Historic Sites of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail, 2022, 33, https://www.nps.gov/lecl/getinvolved/upload/2022_LCNHT_HPHS_Report_508compliantUPDATE-2.pdf; Gary E. Moulton, footnote on December 12, 1803 entry, in Gary E. Moulton, Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1803-12-12.
14 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “What Climate Change Means for Illinois,” August 2016, 1–2; Jason S. Alexander, Richard C. Wilson, and W. Reed Green, “A Brief History and Summary of the Effects of River Engineering and Dams on the Mississippi River System and Delta,” U.S. Geological Survey, 2012, 9, https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1375/C1375.pdf.

Climate Change:Lewis and Clark Trail

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.