The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site opened in 2002 and is owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation (formerly

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency The Illinois Historic Preservation Division, formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is tasked with the duty of m ...

). The site, located in

Hartford, Illinois Hartford is a village in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Missouri River. The population was 1,429 at the 2010 census. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-1804 t ...

, commemorates Camp River Dubois, the camp of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...

from December 1803 to May 1804. The site is National Trail Site #1 on the

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some from Pittsburgh, Pe ...

and is located directly off the Confluence Bike Trail, part of the

Confluence Greenway In 1997, with support from The McKnight Foundation, a group of non-profit organizations led by Trailnet formed a partnership to plan and implement the Confluence Greenway. The Confluence Greenway was planned as a system of parks, conservation and r ...

. The site is at the southern end of the

Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route extends for in southwestern Illinois, travelling through the floodplain of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and Illinois River, Illinois Rivers. The route has been officially designated as a National ...

. The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site is situated on the dry side of the Chain of Rocks Levee, approximately 1/4 mile from the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

shore of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. It is also known as Lewis and Clark State Park. Main attractions at the site include a interpretive center and an outdoor replica of Camp River Dubois. The interpretive center contains a theater, multiple hands-on exhibits and displays, and a full-scale cutaway keelboat.

References

External links

Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
— official website Lewis and Clark Expedition Parks in Illinois Protected areas on the Mississippi River Illinois State Historic Sites History museums in Illinois Museums in Madison County, Illinois Protected areas of Madison County, Illinois 2002 establishments in Illinois Protected areas established in 2002 Museums established in 2002 {{Illinois-museum-stub