Confluence; The Mississippi & Missouri in IL
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This is an EarthCache. The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is located at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site on Route 3 in Hartford, Illinois.
The posted coordinates is the first of three coordinates and it will take you to the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site Interpretive Center on Route 3 in Hartford, Illinois. All three points of interest are wheelchair accessible.
The Confluence:
Confluence, in geography, is described as a flowing together of two or more streams, the point where such streams meet. It usually refers to the point where a tributary joins a more major river, called the mainstream, when that major river is also the largest stream in the drainage basin. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers when combined become the two longest rivers in North America, and they form the fourth longest river in the world. The mainstream of these two rivers is located at Lincoln and St. Charles counties in Missouri and the city of Hartford in Madison County, Illinois.
The Mississippi River:
The Mississippi is an “exterior system stream,”which is a geological term used to describe waters whose flow eventually reach the ocean. The headwaters of the Mississippi begin at Lake Itasca, a small glacial lake in Minnesota, and flows 2,320 miles to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. From its headwaters to its discharge at the mouth of the Mississippi the elevation change is 1,475 feet. At the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers the volume of water in the Mississippi nearly doubles, accounting for approximately 45% of the flow at St. Louis in normal times and as much as 70% of the flow during some droughts. The Mississippi drains 1,245,000 square miles, or 41%, of North America. The volume of discharge in the Gulf of Mexico is 651,000 cubic feet per second.
The Missouri River:
The Missouri is also an “exterior system stream“ that flows into the Atlantic Ocean, via the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. It begins at the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers in Montana, and flows through its valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St. Louis, Missouri. At its source the elevation is 4,045 feet and at its mouth the elevation drops to 404 feet. The Missouri is the second largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi, trailing the Ohio River. At approximately 2,540 miles in length, the Missouri drains about one-sixth of the North American continent before it empties into the Mississippi. In its natural state the Missouri was the longest interior river in North America but channeling has cut off a significant number of miles making it comparable to the Mississippi in length.
The Geological Society of America Plaque:
At 38 48.112 N and 090 06.184 W, which is the second of three coordinates, you will find a marker that was placed in the ground by the Geological Society of America as part of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial events that commemorated the Corps of Discovery’s point of departure and their accomplishments. The top half of this plaque contains an enlarged replica of Thomas Jefferson’s minted presidential coins, which he gave to Lewis and Clark to hand out as a symbol of friendship to those they met along their journey. Peace and Friendship is inscribed on this plaque and it depicts a soldier shaking hands with an Indian. The Survey Crews still use this plaque as a fixed point when conducting their surveys.
The History:
It was at Camp River Dubois, which was located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, that Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1803-1804. In the spring of 1804 they started their expedition up the Missouri River. The first posted coordinates will take you to what is now designated as the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site. Their gallery contains a full-size keel boat, and a replica of Camp River Dubois was constructed just outside the Center. This state-of-the-art interpretive center has a wealth of information concerning the Lewis and Clark expedition. In the early 19th century people depended on the rivers for trade, travel and communication.
At 38 48.303 N and 090 06.777 W, which is the last of the three coordinates, you will be able to view the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers from Illinois. It is at this coordinates that you will need to have a picture of yourself taken with your GPSr, please stand next to the plaque that commemorates the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Earth Caching is ---
for those who love the Out-of-Doors,
and want to learn something about the
geology/earthscience of this planet that we live on.
The Treasure you Find is in the Lessons you Learn.
Leave No Trace !!!
Many thanks to Mr. Brad Winn, Site Manager, for granting permission, and for sharing in the excitement of establishing this historic site as an EarthCache.
Address: Lewis and Clark State Historic Site
One Lewis and Clark Trail Hartford, IL 62048
Telephone Number: (618)251-5811
Their official web site is: www.campdubois.com
The Interpretive Center and gate/access to the confluence is open Wednesday thru Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and closed during winter holidays. For your safety, the road to access the confluence will also be closed until clean-up is completed following a flood.
IN ORDER TO LOG THIS FIND YOU MUST:
You do not need to go to the river’s edge to log this find; just click on my profile and e-mail me the answer to the following question to me.
"What was the name of the interior river, tributary, where Lewis and Clark landed on December 12, 1803?"
FOR YOUR SAFETY, ACCESS TO THE CONFLUENCE MAY BE CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING, OR IF YOU VISIT WHEN THE STATE PARK IS CLOSED.
Do not post your answers when you log in your find. Logs which do not meet the requirements to claim the find will be deleted.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
UVAG/FCBVYRE:
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