Things to do, places to go...

The new Lewis and Clark State Historic Site.

New Lewis and Clark center officially opens

A brand-new Lewis and Clark State Historic Site is now officially open in Hartford, Ill. The site is on land used by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as a winter base camp in 1803-1804 before starting famous trip up the Missouri River.

One thing the new historic site makes clear is that Lewis and Clark started their trek to the Pacific Ocean from the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Of course, in those days, there weren't the states of either Illinois or Missouri.

The $7 million historic site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

The site was officially opened early in December. Hours for the public will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. (The site is closed to the public Mondays and Tuesdays.) Admission is free.

To get to the site, the easiest access for either Missouri or Illinois families is from I-270. You get off I-270 on the Illinois side at Exit 3b. Then, go north about two miles on Route 3. The visitors center will be easy to spot from the highway.

For further information you can call the site at (618) 251-5811. As yet, there is no information website. It won't be on-line until later in 2003.

A replica of the boat used by Lewis and Clark.

One of the key exhibits at the historic site is a replica of the boat Lewis and Clark used in their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Remember, that was before there were any roads or highways; long-distance travel was mostly by boat.

When you look at the boat, try to envision how hard it must have been to push or drag it upstream for hundreds of miles.

Work will begin this spring for a 150-foot observation tower to go along with the visitors center. That will give an aerial view of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The tower is scheduled to be open in 2004 in time for the bicentennial celebration of the start of the Lewis and Clark trip.

 

Winter fun with nighttime walks in county parks

The St. Louis County Parks have night walks scheduled in January. There is one scheduled at Queeny Park and two others at Jefferson Barracks Park.

The Queen Park hike is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16. There's a $5 charge and advance registration is suggested. For information, call (314) 615-4386.

A park ranger leads the 2-mile hike and points out the nighttime activity in Queeny Park. The hikes start from the Mason Road entrance, which is on the eastern boundary of the West St. Louis County park.

The Jefferson Barracks Park hikes are set for Saturdays, Jan. 11 and 25. They will start at 7:30 p.m. Admission for kids 6 and under is free; for those 7 and over, admission is $6.

Advance registration is suggested. For information, call (314) 615-4386.

These walks through Jefferson Barracks Park allow hikers to observe the abundant Whitetail Deer activities during the nighttime. The walks will start at the visitors center.

The St. Louis County Parks department has a wide variety of hikes and walks during the year. For information, either call (314) 615-4386 or check the department's website at www.stlouisco.com.

 

Update on Museum's miniature exhibit

In December, Young Saint Louis.com included in Places/Things an item about the "Our World in Miniature" exhibit. It was showing at the Missouri History Museum.

One feature of the exhibit was an extensive model railroad layout.

Now, there's a neat website giving lots of details and tons of pictures of that model railroad layout in the exhibit.

The website is sponsored by the National Railroad Assn. The address is:
www.gatewaynmra.org/mhslayout/mhslayout.htm

There's also still time to see the Museum's exhibit in person. It will be open at the museum in Forest Park until January 21.

 

A January favorite: Eagle watching
on the Mississippi

The Old Chain of Rocks bridge with be eagle watching headquarters on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19. The bridge over the Mississippi River will have special viewing scopes for closer looks.

The Mississippi River at St. Louis is a popular eagle nesting site. That's because the river is usually open so eagles can find fish. Also, on shore, there are also lots of tall trees for nesting.

On Eagle Days, conservation officials also will provide Lewis and Clark re-enactments, live eagles for close-up viewing and educational programs.

Eagle Day hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Admission is free.

Be sure to dress warmly and also bring your own binoculars, if you have them.

You can get to the bridge via I-270 and Riverview Drive.

For advance information call either (314) 416-9930 or (314) 231-3803.

If you'd like to read a more complete story about a past Eagle Days, you can check our archives. Just click on Past Stories on the homepage and then call up January, 2002.