The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site will commemorate the 221st anniversary of the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the annual Point of Departure Commemoration May 10 and 11.
On both days, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, a free event will be open to the public where visitors can interact with military demonstrators, historic artisans, and hands-on history displays. Artisans will exhibit historic skills including candle making, leatherworking, tanning, gunsmithing, spinning, woodworking and more.
Following the US’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory as claimed by Bonapartist France in 1803, the Corps of Discovery was established by President Thomas Jefferson to assess the newly acquired regions. Led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark, the Corps – comprised of only 40 permanent personnel – set out across the Mississippi River from Camp Dubois in the western border of the Indiana Territory, which is now the border between Illinois and Missouri.
Over two years on an expedition which would prove enormously impactful on American history, the Corps of Discovery introduced the United States to dozens of peoples who provided instrumental aid to the Corps of Discovery in its journey beyond the Rocky Mountains, and documented the vastness of the North American landscape.
The May 10-11 event northeast of St. Louis offers an opportunity for visitors to experience how things were made in the past and what life in the Illinois Country was like. Frontier medicine of the early 19th Century will be explored with a display of medical instruments and common treatments. Military reenactors will portray soldiers of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Corps of Discovery. Interpreting the “White Pirogue” replica of the Expedition’s boat, these reenactors will reveal the grueling task of navigating against the Missouri River.
Additionally, the War of 1812 American 2nd Regiment Artillery will discuss the war in which many Lewis and Clark Expedition members served while demonstrating black powder muskets and firing artillery.
Historian Jeffrey Edison will share the role of York in the Expedition as an enslaved servant to Captain William Clark. This often-overlooked member of the journey played an important role in its success.
A special visitor to the festivities will be a reenactor of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase and is considered the architect of the transcontinental mission.
Reenactor Kurt Smith of Colonial Williamsburg has studied the thousands of Jefferson journal entries, letters, and documents, and he uses his extensive knowledge to bring the president to life. Smith will share highlights of Jefferson’s life with visitors during programs in the Interpretive Center Theater at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM both days. He will interact with the audience and be available to meet and talk throughout the day. This is a great opportunity to ask a past president about his life and times. Jefferson’s special visit is sponsored by the Lewis and Clark Society of America.
The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site is located at 1 Lewis and Clark Trail in Hartford. The Interpretive Center commemorates the important role Illinois played in the Corps of Discovery’s preparations as they wintered from December 1803 to May 1804. The site is open daily during the summer from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM The site is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and supported by the Lewis and Clark Society of America.
