Yes. Also, since the Missouri River is navigable and regulated by Army Corp of Engineers, the keelboats, as originally constructed, might not be permitted on it. There may be more to the story than history on a budget.

Much to my surprise the Lewis and Clark Expedition showed up again yesterday here in Jefferson City. They arrived in "authentic replicas" of the keelboats used by the famous explorers then bivouacked on the North side of the river at the Norris Landing. When I heard it announced on the local news I thought it might be interesting to drive across the bridge and snap a picture.

I wasn't actually able to speak to any of the members of the Expedition because hundreds of school children where there and every young scholar, it seemed, wanted to purchase an authentic plastic Indian artifact at vending tents scattered around in the encampment.

However, this gave me ample opportunity to look over the keelboats at my leisure.

I noticed several things.

1) How nicely woven the multi-colored nylon rope appeared

2) How (not seen in the photo) each boat sported a polished stainless steel anchor

3) How the framework of the keelboats was so perfectly milled--quite an accomplishment using just pocket knives and broad axes

4) How snugly the marine-grade plywood wrapped around the perfectly milled framework. No doubt MeriwetherLewis stumbled onto a bargain sale at Home Depot in St. Charles (this may also be the store where he picked up the flags with 50 stars).

5) How that only one barrel (55 gallons) of the 120 gallons of whiskey the Expedition started out with in St Louis still remained in the boat a scant 100 miles into the long journey ahead

6) The missing whiskey might also explain the last thing I noticed about the authentic replicas: There were no oars or push poles. Those were probably floating downstream (along with the two missing barrels of whiskey) towards Chamois Landing

I think it was dedicated in 2008 or 2009.

It also serves as the trail head for Jefferson City's Greenway system which recently finished a pedestrian walkway across the Missouri River connecting the city's paved walking trails with the Katy Trail (a 200 mile trail) on the other side of the river.

I took the follow picture about 8 city blocks from my home.

It is a memorial toMeriwether Lewis (standing in officer's hat), and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which encamped here for several days(about 6 miles downstream) during 1803. The building visible directly behind the memorial is the East Wing of the Missouri Capitol Building housing the Senate. The Southt Portico of the Capitol facing south is guarded by a imposing statue of President Thomas Jefferson who commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition. President Jefferson corresponded with Lewis in Welsh and directed him to take the northern route (north and west) because it was there that legend suggested that Prince Madoc and his descendants may have settled centuries earlier. Indigenous tribes along the way described a tribe of "white Indians" which spoke a strange dialect. But Lewis never found them.

It was at this same encampment that the two Corps of Discovery went there separate ways. Lewis and Clark took the northern route and Zebulon Pike, at Jefferson's instruction, took the southern route and ultimately explored the Osage, Arkansas and Red Rivers valleys. While the two Corps of Discovery split apart at the same location (about 6 miles from here), they were not at the same encampment at the same time. Lewis and Clark set out first and were first followed by the Pike Expedition about 2 years later. The southern route of the Corps of Discovery named Pike's Peak in Colorado after the Leader of their team.

updated by @harold-powell: 11/11/15 10:38:26PM