The St. Louis area is rich with the history of the expansion of the United States hence the nickname "Gateway to the West." The city was founded by French traders in 1764. It was in this vicinity that Lewis and Clark prepared for their journey by gathering supplies, practiced navigating rivers, and drilled and disciplined their group of men so that their 8,000 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean would hopefully be successful. The Lewis and Clark Historic Site in Hartford, Illinois has a wonderful recreated Camp Dubois where the Corps spent the winter of 1803-1804. Think of the work that you put into planning and packing for just a few days or a week out of town with your family. Picture the work involved if you multiply that week by over 100 times. Seeing the recreated keelboat and the quarters with supplies inside the fort, I tried to put myself in the mindset of what it would be like to set-off up the Missouri River knowing that its source in Montana is over 2500 miles away. I'm not sure I would really want to undertake such a trip with a car much less face the journey that the Corps had in front of them.
When you think of Native American culture, what comes to mind? Tepees? Bow and arrow? Feathered headdresses? What about a developed city? We rarely think of Native Americans having the organization and sophistication to develop the infrastructure for a complex city. Of course, even if we do think it’s possible, we often think about the Mayans, Aztec, or Inca in Central and South America as being the only ones who made these sorts of advances. Instead, imagine a complex city of Native Americans in our part of North America. Such a place exists and it is called Cahokia. Outside of Missouri or Illinois, it’s rare to talk to someone (even one interested in history) to know about Cahokia.
William Clark saw the earthen mounds of Cahokia while the Corps of Discovery was making preparations in the vicinity of St. Louis during the winter of 1803—1804. He identified them simply as “Indian fortifications” with little idea as to the history of the mounds. The location of Cahokia was important for its location near the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers. Trade goods from many hundreds of miles away have been excavated in the area. The population of the city may have been as high as 40,000 at its peak during the 12th century, although this figure is under some debate. Either way, evidence of an organized city center with complex trade networks has been documented. When starting a study of Native Americans, it would serve us well to recall Cahokia’s complexity. While in D.C., I took my son for his first visit to the Jefferson, Lincoln, and Washington monuments. Even at almost 3 years old, he asked questions. He loved riding the Metro train. A few days after getting back home, we were listening to NPR in the car and someone said "reporting from Washington D.C." and he said "I've been to Washington." Several people asked me why go through all the effort of taking a toddler to such a hectic place especially since he wouldn't remember it. I don't care if he remembers it or not. Is that the only reason we educate or expose kids to new ideas and places? Every time we go and take part of something new, I know that it creates a foundation for later curiosity and inquiry for him. I always try to remember this when working with students as well.
The more I thought about the connections between the westward expansion of our nation and the issues involving the expansion of slavery, the more I felt like I had to see some Civil War sites while I was in the area. Even though my study for this grant involves the Lewis and Clark expedition and westward expansion, I realized that I am always trying to teach my students to think about long term consequences of historical events and not just see them as a chain that should be studied one link at a time. Sometimes, jumping ahead or backwards is necessary. So, during this first leg of the trip, I found myself visiting Manassas Battlefield where the first true battle of the Civil War took place (yes, I know the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, but only a horse died). I also stretched my legs at Stonewall Jackson's house and Lee Chapel in Lexington. All three of these sites are wonderful even if you're not a history nerd. Harpers Ferry has always interested me since the first time I saw pictures and heard about the hiking and bike trails that ran through it. What I knew about the place was only the famous raid on the arsenal by John Brown in 1859. John Brown’s raid on the arsenal was meant to spark and support a slave rebellion. Instead, it sparked the Civil War. When I found out that Meriwether Lewis had made preparations for the Corps of Discovery there in 1803, I immediately wondered why in this place? When you see Harpers Ferry today it’s a very small community and quite rural. After some reading at some of the interpretive sites, I found out that Harpers Ferry had a very important history due to its location. I already knew it was at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, but I found out that Lewis chose this location to prepare for the journey because it had a number of craftspeople and was a center of trade at the time. He could manufacture and purchase items while still remaining in regular contact with President Jefferson before setting off west. In a historical twist of fate, the westward expansion that was planned here led directly the fighting that took place in the same town over 50 years later. It’s a beautiful place today, but we should recall the blood that was shed because of its key location.
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Jeremy Henderson
I am a history teacher at Hixson Middle School. I love traveling and exploring new places with my wife and son. Archives
July 2014
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