The Corps of Discovery in the Jefferson City Area
The Corps of Discovery passes Jefferson City, June 4,
1804
on June 4, 1804, a keelboat and two pirogues containing the Corps of
Discovery passed this spot as they headed upstream to the headwaters of the
Missouri and across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewis
and Clark expedition was in the twenty-second day of their two-year, four month
long odyssey. Already fighting the strong currents of the Missouri River,
the party had managed to cover over 145 miles since leaving their Winter
encampment at the River DuBois, in present day Illinois. The expedition
still had 3,855 hard mile stretching ahead before they reached their their
destination on the western rim of the continent.
At the time the Corps passed the future site of Missouri's capital, the
detachment consisted of 45 men, including the members of the "Captain's Mess,"
depicted in this statuary group. There were also 24 American soldiers
crewing the Keelboat. The were und three sergeants. Eight
French-Canadian engages manned the red pirogue, and six privates and a corporal
were pulling at the oars of the white pirogue.
On June 3, the party left their camp of three days at the mouth of the
Osage River, where they had taken measurements and scientific observations.
They moved five miles upstream to the mouth of the Moreau River. There,
Capt. William Clark heard a bird signing all night that he did not recognize.
He named a small creek Nightingale Creek in honor of this mystery bird.
Clark noted in his journal: "I Saw much Sign of war parties of Indians
having Crossed from the mouth of this Creek."
This seemed to confirm a report Clark had heard five days earlier,
in St. Charles that war parties of Sauk and Fox Indians had recently crossed the
river to war against the mighty Osage Indian Tribe.
After leaving three hunters on the north shore of the river, the party
pushed into the current, following the river as it turned in a northwest
direction. They passed Cedar Island, named for the thick stand of eastern
red cedar that grew there. Beyond and nearly opposite the present Capitol,
Cedar Creek entered the river. Past Cedar Creek, the mast of the 55-foot
long keelboat broke after it became entangled in the limbs of a sycamore tree
that leaned over the channel.
The Men in the boat were impressed with the beauty of the country that lay
on both sides of the river. Clark observed: "Fine land above and below...
Delightful Timber of Oake ash walnut hickory &c&c." Sgt. Charles Floyd
remarked: "A Butifull a peas of Land as ever I saw shoger tree [sugar maple] ash
and mulber [mulberry] trees."
As the members of the expedition neared the end of their 17.5-mile day
they passed a creek that Clark call "Zoncar." A later traveler pronounced
the name of this creek Joncar, which means run in French. This name seems
apt, because the floodplain that "Zoncar" Creek (now called Workman's Creek)
flowed through was covered with rushes, known today as horsetail, or Equisetum
hyemale. the flotilla proceeded on another three miles before Clark
requested to be set ashore on the south bank of the river. One of the
French boatmen hand informed him that a large hill looming ahead was said to
contain lead deposits. Curious about the mineral resources of the
Louisiana Purchase country, Clark wanted to investigate this rumor.
Clark hiked through the rush bottom, which he found "charming," for a mile
and then through a last stretch of chest high nettles before coming to the
base of "Lead Mine Hill." He did not find any lead deposits, as he
ascended to the top of the hill, which he estimated to be 170 feet in height.
At the top he saw a six-foot high Indian mound. Such mounds, in this area,
commonly date to the Late Woodland Period, ca. 400-900 A.D. Clark also saw
a hundred acres of dead timber. Clark descended the steep river side of
the hill about 50 feet to a semi-circle of shelter caves-he described them as
"encompassing," "verry extensive." From here he could go out on to the top
of Sugar Loaf Rock, which at the time "Spured up and hung over the Water... from
the top of this rock I had a prospect of the river for 20 or 30 ms. up."
From there steep descent led to the spot where Lewis had directed the men to
make camp.
The hunters who had set out in the morning brought in seven deer, a
dramatic improvement over previous days of hunting. - text of marker