Museum added to Lewis and Clark Trail

The latest stop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is the Walters-Boone County Historical Museum, which received the official designation June 17 from the National Park Service.

To qualify as an official site, an exhibit must document that it interprets a part of the Lewis and Clark story and be open to the public. Applications are then reviewed by the National Park Service. Trail sites get priority over nonqualified sites for cooperative funding and also receive Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail signs — two of which can be found on U.S. 63.

“People who come here will get a quality educational experience of Lewis and Clark,” said Richard Williams, who works with the National Park Service.

The museum's exibit about the Missouri River helped it qualify as a trail site. Thje exhibit has three parts: "Settlement and Exploration," Effects of Man and Nature," and COmmerce and Recreation." The museum rotates the three exhibits: the “Settlement and Exploration” portion is on display now and “Effects of Man and Nature” will take its place in October.

The exhibit was created by Cathy Salter, who said she has always loved the Lewis and Clark story.

“I realized that they were real people with real stories,” Salter said, “and that we were on the Lewis and Clark Trail and didn’t have anything at the museum that addressed the river.”

Salter began researching and gathering items for the exhibit six months ago. The exhibit includes items similar to those taken and collected by Lewis and Clark on their journey. Also included in the exhibit is a replica of the U.S. flag during Lewis and Clark’s time and a crew medal. Both items were presented by the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles.

Boone County Historical Society board member Gary Smith said, “The Corps of Discovery and their journey is one of the outstanding events in American history, and it is exciting for Boone County and the Boone County Historical Society to be part of the national celebration.”