Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is part of the National Trails System of the United States of America. It recalls the expedition in 1804 when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to reach the Pacific coast of the American continent. The equipment of the 45-man strong expedition included a keelboat and two pirogues . She started from Camp Dubois , which is near Hartford in what is now Illinois .
During his tenure, President Thomas Jefferson was always enthusiastic about the western United States and was particularly interested in the fauna , flora and mineral resources that this then unexplored part of the continent had in store. He was also interested in a trade route to the Far East. For this reason he personally asked the American Congress in 1803 for funding for the expedition. Lewis and Clark were asked to record all incidents and encounters in a travel report - including geographic maps, animal sketches and notes on foreign peoples. In total, they traveled to an area that today belongs to 11 states in the USA ( Illinois , Missouri , Kansas , Iowa , Nebraska , South Dakota , North Dakota , Montana , Idaho , Oregon , Washington ).
The historic trail follows the route taken by Lewis and Clark and is oriented from its starting point in Hartford, mostly on the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. At 3,700 miles (5950 km), the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail is the second longest of the United States' 23 Historic Trails. Located in Great Falls , Montana, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center is a trail visitor center, with exhibits about the expedition and attractions along the trail. The center is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).