By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – To the sound of a fife and drum corps, a crew of several dozen men docked three replica boats near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in Hartford, Illinois where Lewis and Clark landed on this day in 1804.
One of the re-enactors is Greg Carter, who plays Louisiana Territory Governor Amos Stoddard:
"As military governor he had to speak with Spanish and French officials in St. Louis and get their permission to go upriver until such time that St. Louis and the Louisiana Territory became part of the United States," Carter said.
The crew is following the historic voyage chronologically over three years. They'll camp near the Wood River before heading up the Missouri in May.