My name is Noel Oliver and I live in rural Colchester, IL Now that I have reached a retirement age, I can finally do some of the things that I have always wanted to do. One of those things was to learn more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
I was born and raised in East St. Louis, IL. East St. Louis is just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis and very near Wood River, IL. Wood River, or River Dubois, was where Lewis and Clark camped for the winter in 1803 and it was the launching point for their great journey through unknown territory towards the Pacific Ocean.
Camp River Dubois, as they called it, just North of St. Louis, was directly across the Mississippi River from the point where the Missouri River joins —–the “confluence”.
In the fifth grade, I first learned a bit about Lewis and Clark and my curiosity has continued all these years. Since then I have read and re-read books and publications concerning this “Last and Greatest American Adventure”. Now I get to retrace at least some of their journey.
Besides just retracing the journey for myself, I have decided to try to share it with interested students everywhere, anywhere and any age. Maybe, just maybe, my adventures will instill a similar desire in you. Even if you have to save some of those dreams until you reach retirement, don’t just forget them, it is worth it to keep the dream alive and follow it when you can.