If you’re unfamiliar with the rivers in the Midwest, here’s some information. The Mississippi River starts in northern Minnesota around Bemidji and flows south almost in a straight line to the Gulf. The headwaters of the Missouri River, however, starts in southwestern Montana, flows eastward and then south to where it meets up with the Mississippi. Since I grew up in Iowa, I was used to the state being bordered by the Mississippi on the east and the Missouri on the west. The 2 rivers merge here at St. Louis where our story begins.
Why does the river look different today? The answer is dams upstream that help with flooding. While the Mississippi is still used for transportation of goods, the Missouri is not.
It states, “The men spent the winter of 1803-1804 here, and left on their trip on May 14.”
men in the Corps of Discovery
Can you imagine putting together a group of strangers who will need to survive in unknown wilderness? That’s what Lewis and Clark had to do.
The men came from Canada, Germany, and 10 states and territories. The expedition included a black man and men of mixed-blood heritage from several Indian tribes. The men ranged from illiterate backwoodsmen to Lewis who had been President Jefferson’s personal secretary. But good leadership and a common goal taught them that they could depend on each others.
preparing for winter
So how did the men spend their time during this winter? I found some good information from the first of the 2 historic sites.
The men also hunted and fished. Since they didn’t have a medical officer, the 2 captains saw to the health of their men.
Clark wrote that the Corps raised the cabins in about 2 weeks, while the finishing work continued into February. He hired a team of horses to haul logs and borrowed a whipsaw from a local farmer to cut planks. Later it seems that the Corps added a butchering shack and a hut for a laundress.
Men would have cut down trees with heavy felling axes and shaved their bark with draw knives or bark spuds. Then the men could have hauled them to the camp site using log tongs or saplings as make-shift carriers.
Fitters pounded tree-nails through split planks to secure door and fireplace openings. Later, the men chinked spaces between logs with mud and grass.
Later expedition forts suggest the Corps built shed roofs slanted inward. They probably covered purlins with planks, bark, or wood shingles with a layer of sod on top.
To suspend cooking pots, a short log with a chain was notched into the chimney. Unfortunately, Clark reported in January that his chimney caught fire.
Don’t you just know that the men were stronger and fitter than they were when they came to meet up with Lewis and Clark.
Spanish officials in St. Louis were hesitant to help Lewis, but he did get a map from the Surveyor General of Louisiana. Two other men advised him on the “Indian trade.”
models of Camp Wood/Dubois
When we were at another location, we saw these models of Camp Wood.
Camp Wood/Dubois
Two historic sites have replicas of the first fort where the expedition stayed. The official name is “Camp River Dubois Wood River,” so if you get confused with the names, now you know that they are the same place.
From December 1803 to May 1804, Lewis, Clark, and nearly 40 men lived, trained, and worked at Camp Dubois. It was a time of intense preparation. The men practiced navigation, weapons drills, survival skills, and team coordination. They also built canoes, repaired equipment, and cataloged supplies that would be critical in the wilderness ahead.
Lewis and Clark were meticulous planners. Every pound of food, every notebook, every scientific instrument had to be accounted for. Their goal was not just to explore, but to document and report their findings in detail.
During the winter, the men braved harsh weather, illness, and the psychological strain of isolation. But Camp Dubois forged them into a unified force—the Corps of Discovery—that would soon face rivers, mountains, unfamiliar cultures, and life-or-death decisions.
Though Camp Dubois was only a temporary home, its role in the success of the mission was foundational. It was here that trust was built, leadership was tested, and plans became action.
Let’s start walking through this replica.
Next we’ll look at the boats the expedition used while traveling up the Missouri River.
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