Columbia in Boone County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Lewis and Clark Expedition Across Missouri

Photographed by John Ridley, April 27, 2023

1. The Lewis and Clark Expedition Across Missouri Marker

Inscription.

"the Countrey about this Isd. [Split Rock Island] Is delightfull large rush bottom of rushes below on the St. Side… passed a place in the projecting rock Called the hole thro' the rock, a small round Cave pass thro the pt. of rock's"

William Clark, June 6, 1804

Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery passed this section of bluffs on June 6, 1804. Five miles into the day, the party stopped at Roche Percée Natural Arch, called "Split Rock" by Capt. William Clark in his journal. At that time, the Missouri River ran past the natural arch, and Perche Creek fed into the Missouri here. The expedition was far from the first to observe this arch. This landmark, and the entire lower Missouri River, were well known to French explorers and traders long before Lewis and Clark. Descriptions of the arch also appeared in journals of later travelers.

Clark took his name of Split Rock from a map, made by Scotsman James Mackay, that had been provided to the captains for the journey. Mackay was a trader and surveyor who had visited the expedition's winter camp to inform the captains about Missouri River geography. Mackay referred to

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Perchee Creek as Split Rock Creek on his map. Early river travelers called the arch roche percée, or pierced rock. The name of today's Perche Creek was derived from the arch. The stream's name evolved over time from Roche a Piercè to Roche Percée to Percee to Perche. Just above Split Rock Creek, Capt. Meriwether Lewis took a reading of the meridian altitude with his octant. The expedition then traveled another nine miles upriver and camped on the east side of the river.

Early that morning at camp, the party repaired the mast of the keelboat, which had broken two days earlier when the boat passed too close to shore and hit a sycamore branch. They were on the river by 7. Clark was not feeling well and complained of a "Sore throat and head ake." That day signs of bison were seen for the first time, although what these "signs" were was not specified. The next day, at "Big Monetou" (now Moniteau) Creek near present-day Rocheport, more bison sign was discovered, but the animals themselves were not seen until June 28 near the confluence with the Kansas River.

[Sidebar:]
Equipment and Uniforms The Lewis and Clark Expedition could have carried as much as 30 tons of cargo in the large keelboat and two pirogues. The captains expected to be gone for many months, and purchased a large quantity of supplies. Among the acquisitions was an immense amount of gunpowder, which lasted the entire two years and four months. They brought Indian trade goods, a medical kit, non-perishable food such as corn meal, salted pork, and "portable soup." They brought scientific instruments for calculating latitude and longitude, reference books, tobacco, whiskey, and camping and cooking gear. No one knows exactly what they wore during their journey, but they had Army uniforms and fatigue clothing. Probably they put on uniforms only for important meetings with Indian tribes. For everyday wear, they likely wore military-issue cloth fatigues, which were replaced by leather clothing as they wore out their fatigues. At least one tailor, Pvt. Joseph Whitehouse, accompanied the expedition. The party acquired its first moccasins from a trading party on June 1, 1804, and each member subsequently went through many pairs on the long journey across the continent.

Topics.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1804.

Location. 38° 53.249′ N, 92° 26.783′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Missouri, in Boone County. It is on Katy Trail north of Perche Avenue (County Highway K), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6347 Katy Trail, Columbia MO 65203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Little Dixie

and in the Missouri River Corridor.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Roche Percée Natural Arch (here, next to this marker); McBaine to Rocheport (here, next to this marker); The Plank Road, Columbia-Providence (here, next to this marker); History of McBaine (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named The Lewis and Clark Expedition Across Missouri (approx. 4.9 miles away); Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site (approx. 6.3 miles away); Don Faurot / Faurot Field (approx. 7 miles away); Smithton - 1818 (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Jewell Cemetery (was approx. 6.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. This page has been viewed 230 times since then and 61 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on May 14, 2025, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.