New Museum education center design
promises exciting addition
We're excited to announce the first major enhancement to the Lewis & Clark Boat House & Museum, part of our commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the building's dedication! The South porch of the building, which is largely unused now, will be enclosed for year-round use as the Lotsie & Rick Holton Family Education Center. We look forward to hands-on exhibits, small classes and demonstrations, river education and new meeting space as part of the area's many uses.
"The Boat House & Museum was created as the result of the vision of many people and as we near the 20th anniversary, we are thrilled to see the vision for the future exemplified in the Holton family's investment in our educational mission," said Bob Foster, executive director. "We look forward to seeing the new space come to life and to further announcements about our anniversary in 2023."
The design shown is the creation of Jan Donelson, Board Chairman and owner of Timberland Designs, an architecture firm in Louisville.
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Old St. Charles comes to life
in latest DESC filming at Historic Boone Home
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The village of St. Charles plays a key role in the story of St. Charles and during the weekend of Sept. 23-25, DESC worked to bring the history to life. Thanks to the wonderful staff and historic grounds of the Historic Daniel Boone Home for sharing their facility with 80 or so DESC members and friends (and six horses!). We had amazing contributions of time and talent from scores of people for which we are immensely grateful! For this episode, we will be conducting more filming in the spring. Learn more here!
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So Hard to Die authors at the Boat House
Dr. Marti and David Peck, the authors of "So Hard to Die" provided an in-depth analysis of the various theories that still swirl around Meriwether Lewis' death and drew on their professional backgrounds as a physician and a clinical psychologist to explain the mystery of Lewis's death.
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Join the Expedition at the massive
Fort Massac Encampment
The 2022 Ft. Massac Encampment, will be October 14 thru 16, 2022. We will be setting up our camp on Thursday, October 13, 2022, getting ready for area school children on Friday, October 14. We will have education stations, and camp completed then. Saturday and Sunday we’ll be open to the public, with stations. For those of you who have experienced a “Ft. Massac” encampment, I don’t have to tell you how great and vast it is. The leaves are changing and the temps, generally, are very nice. Hundreds of reenactors, representing all those who have occupied the Fort through the late 1700’s-1800’s, will be dressed and performing. More information will be forthcoming, but you can start to sign-up any time now, with Norm and Brigitte Bowers: (314)304-7877 or brigitteandnorm@gmail.com. Please call me if you have any questions (Mack: (731)514-4075). If you are a newer reenactor, this is a great weekend to watch, learn, and envelope yourself in history and meet lots of great folks!
Mack Thornton and Jim Wallace, Co-phase leaders
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St. Charles/St. Louis history day spans revolutionary war to Missouri statehood |
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On Saturday, October 8, the Southern Prairie Region of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation will host enjoyable educational events in St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo.
- We begin at 11 a.m. at the Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Museum in St. Charles with a tour and presentation on the Spanish in St. Charles by Education Director Bill Brecht. Box lunches will be served.
- Next, we'll visit the Missouri First State Capitol State Historic Site, where Frederick Bates served as governor, for a presentation by Shannon Kelly, author of a two-part series on Bates that just appeared in We Proceeded On.
- The final tour will be the new “American Revolutionary War in the West” exhibit at the St. Charles County Heritage Museum
Looking for more info?
Finally—just a reminder—the Southern Prairie Region is one of the nine Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation’s regions that cover the United States. The Southern Prairie Region includes Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and southwestern Illinois. The Missouri-Kansas Riverbend Chapter in Greater Kansas City and nearby areas is part of the Southern Region.
When you are a member of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, you have the opportunity to choose which region you would like to associate with. The Southern Prairie Region has members throughout the states mentioned above, but also members who reside elsewhere.
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A treasury of photos
by Betty Kluesner
Dear DESC members and others,
I plan to once again share the Flickr pictures with you that I have taken over the past 19 years with DESC. Working with the Flickr site is a job that will never be completed. I recently ran across a lot of pictures, both recent and past, that I never uploaded to the site. I am going to go through my pictures and send out links to several more albums. I can see that some of you have already viewed some of the pictures I most recently posted but I'm not sure how you even know I posted them. Big mystery to me!
I am also working on making a special memory album for the deceased members of our organization and it will include pictures that I had taken of them throughout the years. It is a very bittersweet project. It makes me feel so warm to see so many of the familiar faces and remember all the times we shared with them throughout the years but it also makes me sad that they are no longer with us. Their albums are inserted in place according to their death date. I have NOT completed adding all of the names, nor all of the pictures for each person, but it shall get done eventually. If you go to the main Flickr site (e-mail address below) it is easy just to scroll through the albums and look for "DESC - DECEASED - In Memory of ........" I will be adding pictures continually but it will take a long time. Unfortunately, I do not have nearly all of my pictures tagged but it takes time looking for faces amongst over 42,000 pictures. Since 2009 we have had 1,880,896 views on our Flickr site.
I began with an album in memory of both Bob Kilmer and Barb Eller who passed away this year. Some of you may not have heard about their passing so this may have come as a surprise to you. If any of you know of members that have passed throughout the years, please let me know as I may have not heard about them.
If you have questions, want to be included on a photo album mailing list or have photos to share, just send an e-mail to lakluesner@aol.com .
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Billboard-worthy coverage of the Boat House in Discover St. Charles magazine
We were delighted to see six pages of photos in the magazine promoting tourism in St. Charles this month. Did you know the Boat House & Museum is consistently No. 2 or 3 on the most-visited destination review sites? We're pushing hard for No. 1 -- stop by and help us out!
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Historic Fishing Memorabilia
Sought for Exhibit
We've been working with some gifted taxidermists on updating the animals in the museum as part of a Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail grant. The fish replicas are so awesome, we're wanting to create a display of the types of gear that Lewis & Clark Expedition members would have used. Lures, lines, creel baskets, poles, nets are all welcome as either donations or long-term loans. Give the museum a call or email if you'd like to discuss it!
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Coming events
October 8: Trail Heritage Foundation Event
October 15-15: Fort Massac Encampment
December 3: Christmas Party, St. Charles, MO
Book your event at the Boat House!
Just this month, we hosted a 60th birthday party, wedding proposal (she said "yes!"), two days of corporate meetings and the return of school visits! We have booked a wedding rehearsal dinner for June 2023 and now have an ordained wedding officiant on staff.
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"20 Treasures" include Boat House
We’re proud to be one of the 20 St. Louis region treasures located along the region’s great rivers. Hosted by Trailnet, you can discover the trail and river treasures of the St. Louis region. “The St. Louis region is blessed to be at the confluence of America’s two great rivers, and to have access to biking, walking, floating and tourism destinations all along the way,” said Bob Foster, executive director of the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum in St. Charles (Destination #7). “Thanks to the Holton Family Foundation for promoting the region’s outstanding destinations for outdoor experiences.”
Enjoy the outdoors, visit community sites and be entered for a chance to win an E-bike. Join the more than 150 people who have signed up. The Twenty Treasures Challenge is a free, months-long experience that takes you to sites that highlight some of the region's best in rivers, trails and community. Participants will be entered to win a free e-bike!
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Thanks to our friends and supporters!
Despite our challenges, we close out a very successful 2021 poised for exceptional growth. We were blessed by hundreds who helped along the way, but a special shout out to the following for their financial support!
Sacagawea’s Club ($10,000 and over)
Mr. and Mrs. Barbara and Ed Eller
FHC Foundation
Ms. Marilyn Geery
Ms. Carlota (Lotsie) Clark Hermann Holton
Ron Lowery and family
National Park Service
Mr. and Mrs. Sue and Lynn Schneider
Jefferson’s Club ($1,000 and over)
Audrain County Historical Society
Mr. Bryant Boswell
Mr & Mrs. Bill and Teri Brecht
City of St. Charles
The Explorer’s Club, St. Louis Chapter
Fort Massac State Park
Mr. Duane Parker
Mr. & Mrs. Tom and Karen Ronk
Friends of Sue Schneider
Mr. & Mrs. Mack and Charleen Thornton
Mr. Mark McKenzie
Paric Construction
Mr. & Mrs. Tom and Joy Young
Captain’s Club ($500 and over)
Mr. John Fisher
Mr. Jerry Garrett
Ms. Anna Laughlin
Mr. Bob Learned
Kluesner Kreations
Lewis and Clark Indiana Foundation
Lewis and Clark Trust
Ms. Janise Manchester
Mr. Richard Prestholdt
In Honor of
Donations in Memory of Jay Coble
Donations in Memory of Barb Eller
Donation in Honor of Gene Glandt
Donations in Honor of Bob Kilmer
Donation in Honor of Marita Ulhaas Parker
Donations in Honor of the Wedding of Lynette Trotter and Gaylen Medders
Donation in Honor of Gene Olson
Donation in Honor of William J. Wolf
Donation in Memory of Donna Whitton, from her Knit-Wit Group
Donations in Memory of Bob Anderson
Donations in Memory of All DESC members who have passed: Presented by Bob & Pat Learned
The list is updated continually on our website! Visit and learn more about how you can get involved. And a special shout out to our Board and Staff for giving selflessly all year long.
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You can be involved in many different ways:
- Become a member or consider making an extra donation!
- Volunteer at the Museum.
- Consider adopting a part of the museum, such as a new display or upgrade.
- Consider sponsoring an educational program or video series.
- Does your company have services or products to donate? From cleaning services/supplies to printing to items for our raffle, we are always interested in partnerships.
- Adopt a part of the museum, such as a new display. Consider sponsoring an educational program or a film in our mini series.
Just as the Corps of Discovery depended on teamwork, dedication and perseverance, so does your Museum and Discovery Expedition. We are incredibly proud to be recognized as an official site on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. We have the only fleet of river-worthy replica boats in the United States. And most importantly, we are proud to be a living, working Museum! Thank you for being part of our journey.
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Information about your Corps
Guidestar Listing We have Silver Certification from Guidestar, a trusted directory of all U.S. nonprofits (free log-in may be required)
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Interested in Qualified Charitable Distributions? We can help! |
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We're glad to accept gifts of cash via our online portal and we are a 501(c), with donations eligible for tax deductions. We hold Silver Certification from Guidestar, so you can feel comfortable donating.
Our mailing address is 1050 S. Riverside Dr., St. Charles, MO 63301.
Also, we are in the midst of a major renovation of the museum. We'd love to make a new home for your gently used office equipment including:
- Bookshelves
- Large flatscreen monitors (Smart TVs)
- Patio Furniture
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Corp of Discovery from the Journals
July 17, 1804 – "The sunflower is in bloom and abundant in the river bottoms. The Indians of the Missouri particularly those who do not cultivate maze make great uce of the seed of this plant for bread, or use it in thickening their soope." (Lewis)
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Bishop's Landing
1050 S. Riverside Drive
St. Charles, MO 63301
Phone: 636-947-3199
Text KEELBOAT to 44-321 to donate
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