Iowa All Over: State Park where Lewis, Clark explored

ONAWA — Lewis and Clark State Park in Onawa, in western Iowa's Monona County, stands on the site where Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark arrived on Aug. 10, 1804.

The park was named after Lewis and Clark, who were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore territory purchased by France.

Today, the 176-acre park features picnic grounds, shelters, a lodge, camping and trails. There are also activities such as swimming, boating and fishing.

The campgrounds offer an abundance of trees and greenery. Park visitors can see Canada geese, white-tailed deer, raccoons, turkeys and other wildlife, said Johnathan McAndrews, natural resource technician with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Inside the welcome center, interactive exhibits offer a glimpse at what the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered on its journey. Visitors can also see pirogues — similar to the boats Lewis and Clark used when they traveled to St. Louis. The pair recruited soldiers to man the white pirogue and hired French boatmen to man the red pirogue, according to a display.

Outside the welcome center, on the shores of the Missouri River, visitors can step aboard a replica of the keelboat the expedition also used. From the long boat, one can gets a picturesque look at the shores of the Blue Lake, which was formed by the Missouri River.

McAndrews said the park allows visitors to imagine Iowa before few people had touched or explored the land.

'Can you imagine seeing an elk drink from the river in Iowa?' McAndrews said while looking out toward the water. 'It takes you back to a different time.

'Being the first person to see this area, there was no corn in those days, there was nothing but prairie,' he said. 'It brings people back to a time when it was new and exciting.'

Butch Bouvier has been a volunteer with the state park for 30 years, and he conducts education sessions with adolescents at the park. He specializes in boats — some people call him 'Mr. Keelboat.'

'When you have young people who come up to you after a program, and they line up to shake your hand, it's all the payment anybody needs,' he said.

To Bouvier, bringing the past to life is the most rewarding aspect of being involved with the park.

'History has more outstanding things than any fiction writer could ever make up,' he said.

Lewis and Clark State Park is one of a number of points of interest on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Also along the route is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and the Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City.

The stone monument commemorates Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition who did not survive.

Also in Onawa is the Monona County Arboretum, Monona County Historical Museum and a veterans' memorial museum, which features an armored tank.

The city also hosts the Monona County Fair and the Lewis and Clark Festival. The June festival at the park celebrates the pair's expedition and features historic preservation and bluegrass music.

If you go

What: Lewis and Clark State Park

Where: 21914 Park Loop, Onawa

For more information or to reserve a campsite, call 1-877-427-2757 or go to reserveiaparks.com.