During my paddle and hike to the Pacific next year, I will be using a combination of maps, including U.S.G.S. Topographical and the cartographic reconstructed maps created by cartographer Martin Plamondon II.

Plamondons book entitled "Lewis and Clark Trail Maps- Vol. I-III" (Washington State University Press, Pullman, Washington) give a detailed description of the route taken by the Corp of Discovery.

Using these two map sources I will be able to bring you closer to the actual locations visited by the expedition while respecting Native American sites and private property. I will include a few of Mr. Plamondons' maps here, which will help explain their use.

With 200 years of flooding, damming, irrigation, and channeling, the Missouri and Columbia Rivers have changed their course dramatically in some areas. Places which were once campsites by Lewis and Clark along the rivers edge are often miles from the present river channel or even under water due to the construction of dams.

   

The map above was created by cartographer Martin Plamondon II from his book entitled "Lewis and Clark Trail Maps". It shows the course of the river as it appeared in 1804 and drawn by William Clark (Darker bold print), along with the course of the current river which appears as faint dashed lines.He basically compiled two sets of maps, overlaying the maps drawn by William Clark on top of modern topographical maps. With over 200 years of flooding the channel of 1804 has migrated to the south(left) and is much narrower due to lower water levels, channeling, hydrodams, irrigation, and global warming. The photo to the right is an aerial photo taken over the same area as the above map. The RED numbers match the same location with those on the drawn maps. Note the 1st camp on May 14th by the Corp Of Discovery is located on a small island near the top of the two images (Red Dot). The photo to the right shows the same "island" now is actually farm land and lies about 2 miles north (Right) of the current course of the Missouri. A small red dot marks the first camp and the number "2" marks the bend where the water once flowed around the island. If you look closely you can still see the entire course of the river deposits in the various fields. The number "1" marks a small side channel of the current river which helps act as a reference to the 1804 river bed. In the photo above there also appears a large white area on the water above the number "3". This is caused by the sun reflecting on the water when the plane took the photo of that particular area. The bottom of the above map is the location of Camp Dubois where the expedition began on May 14th, 1804
Below are more examples showing how the river has changed since the days of the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through.


The amazing photo and map above is more proof how the Missouri River has changed its course over the last two hundred years.
The numbers and figures above correspond with each other.The map on the left contains both the course of the river in 1804 along with its present location. The more detailed part was that of Capt. William Clark while the faint dashed lines are that created by Martin Plamondon. So basically you have two maps laid on top of one another. The photo on the right is of the same area in present time showing both the old river channels, banks, and stream deposits etc.
KEY:
Numbers 1,2 and 3 correspond to the Missouri River as it flows today.
Number 4 is located where present day Lewis and Clark Lake, S.E. of Atchison Kansas. Note: It appears to be located in a different place on the left map, (Wm. Clarks 1804 map/reconstructed by cartographer Martin Plamondon) however it is not. Sometime after 1804 the river changed course creating a larger bend which has now become a lake. Look closely and you can see the old river banks.
The Red X is the location of the July 3, 1804 camp of the Corp. of Discovery. You can still see the original bank of the river on the photograph to the right just above the X. It helps to compare with the map to the left. The bank is located directly above the word "Camp".
Number 5 was once the original river channel. The photo on the right now shows various crops and fields where once the channel existed.
Yellow X indicates the location of the original river channel which can be seen on the map to the left and corresponding with the photo on the right. Note numerous old river banks to the right of the yellow "X" on the photo from years of flooding and high water.
* Is the location of "Gosling Lake" discovered by the Corp of Discovery.
They noted many geese goslings here and named the lake because of this. On the photo you can see the remains of the lake however much is filled in with swamps and cropland.



The two photo's above show the August 11, 1804 camp location by the Corp of Discovery. The image on the left shows and larger area while the smaller photo to the right is of the "camp" area which has been zoomed in. The X marks the location of the camp in both photos. The blue X in the photo to the left is the Missouri River. The numbers 1 and 2 show the remains of the old channel which is now dried up containing marsh areas and farmland. The number 3 is the old channel as well but still contains water. The photo on the right shows the location of the camp "X" while the green X at the bottom is a large marshy area. Note how the actual camp lies over 4 miles from the present river! Iowa Highway 29 runs closely to the camp location as seen by the narrow line bisecting the photo. If you look closely on both photos you will see the remains of the old river bank and channels throughout the photo.

What else can you see?

Want to see an aerial photo of where you live? Click here and type in your location.
You can also find the entire Lewis and Clark route by typing in the area you want to look at. Check out Great Falls, Montana; Pierre, South Dakota; Portland, Oregon and hundreds of other locations.

You can see the detailed work by cartographer Plamondon in recreating the detailed maps of William Clark. These particular maps above only cover a fraction of the entire route traveled by the Corp of Discovery.

I hope you understand how by using a combination of the maps created by William Clark, Martin Plamondon II, and aerial photos of the river one can locate many of the camps and sites visited by the Corp of Discovery some 200 years later. It is forbidden to dig for artifacts because they are protected. Most the sites lie either on private land or Indian Reservation. Even though you won't be able to find a "fire-pit" dug by the Corp, you certainly will get a better sense to the location and to witness the surrounding horizons experienced by the original expedition to help fulfill you sense of wonder and imagination. I encourage you to explore the maps of Lewis and Clark either at your local library or by purchasing the "Lewis and Clark Trail Maps Vol. 1-3" by Martin Plamondon.

Maps created by Martin Plamondon II, WSU Washington University Press PO Box 645910 Pullman, Washington 99164-5910
Copyright 2000 by the Board of Regents of Washington State University -www.wsu.edu/wsupress (Maps used with permission)

Aerial photo images are from TerraServer by Microsoft.