Near Blair in Washington County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Up the Missouri
A large keelboat and two smaller crafts, called pirogues, carried the explorers and their supplies. When conditions were favorable, the men raised sails to assist the keelboat up the river. But usually they rowed, poled, or towed them through dangerous currents, using back-breaking labor. Here, along the lower Missouri River, they averaged about 13 miles a day.
Legend accompanying the map on the lower right. Click on image to enlarge it.
1) July 11, 1804: Sixty days after leaving St. Louis, the expedition enters present-day Nebraska.
2) July 21, 1804: Some expedition members travel a short distance up the “Great River Platt.”
3) July 30 - August 3, 1804: Lewis and Clark council with the Missouri and Oto tribes at “Council Bluff,” north of present-day Omaha.
4) August 11, 1804: Expedition visits the grave of Blackbird, a former Omaha chief.
5)August 20, 1804: Sergeant Charles Floyd dies and is buried on a bluff
6) August 25, 1804 Lewis and Clark visit “Hill of Little Devils” just north of present-day Vermillion, South Dakota.
7) August 30-31, 1804: Lewis and Clark council with a delegation of Sioux at “Calumet Bluff.”
8) September 3-10, 1806: Canoeing down river two years later, the expedition travels through present-day Nebraska, arriving in St. Louis on September 23.
Erected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Location. 41° 30.802′ N, 96° 2.226′ W. Marker is near Blair, Nebraska, in Washington County. Marker is on DeSoto Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blair NE 68009, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Lewis and Clark Expedition (within shouting distance of this marker); Steamboat Bertrand (approx. 0.7 miles away); Lewis and Clark Campsite Area (approx. 2 miles away); DeSoto Townsite (approx. 2.2 miles away); Fort Atkinson (approx. 4 miles away); Lewis and Clark Campsite (approx. 4.2 miles away); The Death of Marshal Suverkrubbe (approx. 4.3 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Atkinson (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blair.
More about this marker. This marker is located in DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge at a riverside pullout off of DeSoto Avenue.
Also see . . . Heading Into Danger? - National Geographic. At sunset on August 2, a party of Oto and Missouri Indians arrived at the expedition's camp. This first Indian encounter went well, the two sides exchanging greetings and gifts. But the captains realized that things would be different when they met the Sioux. (Submitted on September 4, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California.)
Categories. • Exploration • Waterways & Vessels •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on September 4, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. This page has been viewed 267 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.