Lewis and Clark page

In 1804, Lewis and Clark, traveled up the Missouri River on their way to the Pacific Ocean as they explored the newly acquired lands called the Louisiana Purchase. On the dates of  September 7 to the 11^th of that year, they explored the land along the river 15 miles east of  Platte. While in this area they saw numerous Bison, Elk, Antelope, and prairie dog which they called “the barking squirrel”.  They were also on the lookout for what they thought might possibly be a volcano as reports had said that smoke was rising from the hills. The smoke is the result of pyretic material and water producing sulfuric acid which becomes so hot that it ignites the underlying bitimous shale. These smoking hills still flare up at times, some lasting for a few years while some last only a few days. This is also the place where their companion George Shannon was reunited with the group after going ahead of them 22 days earlier to explore. Though the group was behind him, he thought they were ahead, so he kept pushing north to find them, and during that time he ran out of food and bullets. For 12 days he lived on wild grapes and one rabbit though there were elk within 30 yard of him. Because he had used up all of his lead bullets, he improvised by shooting a wooden stick from his rifle to kill the rabbit. Delirious and famished from lack of food, he waited by the river for a boat that was coming behind the group, and that is where they found him. On September 10 Clark reported finding the petrified bones and teeth  of a 45 foot fish on a hill above what is now called Mulehead creek. Some of the bones of this "fish", actually an aquatic dinosaur called plesiosaur, were sent to the Smithsonian Institute where they are still today.

                Though the river has changed much since that time as the Missouri River has been dammed up and the prairie has given way to farm ground, the hills on either side still look much the same as when Lewis and Clark traveled it. There are many places along the trail with breath taking views of this part of the river that Lewis and Clark explored over 200 years ago.