County of site: Franklin COunty
Location of site: Missouri River Bluffs, 2½ miles NW of St. Albans
"Quick Facts
LOCATION: 2 mi northeast of St. Albans, MO
DESIGNATION: National Register of Historic Places
OPEN TO PUBLIC: Yes
"Men of the "Corps of Discovery," headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, first set feet on what is now Franklin County at "Tavern Cave."
"The "cave" or "shelter" is in the rock bluff of the Missouri River in the northeast part of the county and about a mile and a half from St. Albans.
"The expedition started late from St. Charles on the 21st of May, 1804, which was deliberate, but got away later than planned because of a lengthy and convivial farewell dinner at Jacques D'Englise's house west of St. Charles.
"They only made three miles that day before camping on a island. The next day they did better and on the 23rd, said Patrick Gass, "At 6 o'clock in the morning we proceeded on our voyage with pleasant weather. Passed the mouth of the Osage River (he meant Femme Osage) on the southside about a mile and a half below the Tavern Cave, a noted place among the French traders. One mile above this is the Tavern Creek. We encamped this evening on the south side of the river and had our arms and ammunition inspected."
"Captain Clark said, "We passed a large cave on the Lbd. Side called by the French the Tavern — about 120 feet wide, 40 feet deep and 20 feet high. Many different images are Painted on the Rock at this place. The Indians and French pay homage. Many names are wrote on the Rock. Stopped about one mile above for Capt. Lewis who had ascended the cliffs whic is at the said Cave 300 feet high, hanging over the waters . . . Captain Lewis near falling from the pinnacles of rocks, 300 feet. He caught at 20 feet."
"The boats stopped awhile at the Femme Osage settlement of Americans founded by Daniel Boone, his sons, daughters, relatives and companions. There two men were picked up who had gone ahead by land to buy corn and butter at the settlement. There is no documentary evidence that men of the expedition met Daniel Boone or any of his sons.
"Swift Water
"They picked up Captain Lewis about a mile upriver from Tavern Cave and moved on before camping for the night. The diaries of the men agree in stating they camped on the south side on the 23rd. They probably did not get farther than Fiddle Creek because they were moving into swift water and had been slowed some by stops at the Femme Osage settlement and Tavern Cave. Two hunters were sent out in what is now Franklin County, one killed a deer.
"The next day they got well into swift water coming out of what was later known as Augusta Bend. This current was called by them "The Devil's Race Ground." They tried to get above the swift water by going to the north side of the river and nearly upset a boat and came back to the south side.
"They did not get far on the 24th of May because of the swift water and camped at a plantation on the south part of the river. A good guess is they camped on the later named "Ming's Island" near the "Boles" village of today, because they say they made three or four miles the next day before they got to "Wood River" or Dubois Creek.
"On the 25th they passed the sites of South Point and Washington and camped on the north side just about a half mile above the mouth of Charette Creek and above "Charette" or "St. Johns" village, "the last settlement of white people on the river."
"When they came back in 1806, they stopped at Charette village and some of the men visited homes in the area. They were proudly and joyously received. Some of the men probably got the hospitality of American homes in the "St. Johns Settlement" south of the river where some veterans of the American Revolution lived. The next day they oared and paddled their boats and canoes by Tavern Cave and beyond the area that became Franklin County.
"Bottomland and trees, shrubs and vines now front Tavern Cave and mud from the river is in it many feet deep." ~ The Missourian, Washington, Missouri, By Ralph Gregory, December 17, 2003