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.