Lewis and Clark - Fort Orleans MO518

"The Countrey about this place is butifull on the river rich & well timbered on the S[tarboard or right] S[ide] about two miles back a Prarie com[mence]s which is rich and interspursud with groves of timber, the Count[r]y rises at 7 or 8 miles Still further back and is roleing -- on the L[arboard or left] S[ide] the high lands & Prarie Com[mence]s in the bank of the river and Continus back, well watered and abounds in De[e]r Elk & Bear.."
William Clark, June 17, 1804

On June 16, the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed present-day Waverly in a flotilla consisting of a keelboat and two pirogues. The men were keeping an eye out for good timber with which to replace their oars that had worn out from use in the nearly daily battles with the swift lower Missouri River. Capt. William Clark went ashore in the vicinity of "Snag" (Cranberry) Island to scout for trees to make oars out of, and to look for any trace of an old French fort. He failed to find any remnants of the fort or suitable oar material.

During his walk, Clark struck the bank next to a difficult section of the river that was a gauntlet of rolling water and deadly shifting sandbars. If the boats could not pass this stretch, they would have to fall back several miles. He immediately called this stretch of the river the "worst I ever saw" (this was the fourth time in as many days that he made such a statement). The expedition managed with difficulty to get through. They then pitched camp on the northern (right) shore just above the site of the present-day Waverly.

The next day the crew only went another mile before stopping to make new oars and a new towrope. At this "rope walk camp," Clark noted that he "Sent out Sjt. [Nathaniel] Pryor and Some men to get ash timber for ores, and Set Some men to make a Toe Rope out of the Cords of a Cable which had been provided by Capt Lewis at Pittsburg..." During their two-day stay here, Clark measured the speed of the river and found that in the swiftest part it was roaring along at 23.66 miles per hour.

Many of the men were now experiencing health problems such as boils and dysentery related to the effects of drinking river water and of receiving numerous mosquito and tick bites that caused infections. Clark was angry with the complaints of the French engagés, who wanted more rest stops, and referred to them as "French higherlins." But he felt growing admiration towards his enlisted soldiers who endured the hardships of the journey without complaint.

FORT ORLEANS

On June 16, William Clark searched for the remains of an old French fort noted on a map that Lewis and Clark carried with them on the expedition. This map was made in 1797 by a Scotsman working for the Spanish named James Mackay. This map showed the location of a "vieux [old] fort" nearly opposite the abandoned sites of the "ancient villages" of the Little Osage and Missouri Indian tribes, which were also noted on Mackay's map. The old fort Mackay referred to was Fort Orleans, established in 1723 by Entienne de Bourgmont in an effort to establish trade with the Missouri Indians. The site was in present-day Carroll County above the mouth of the Grand River, but to this day the exact location of the fort has never been determined with certainty.

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Cranberry Culture WI86
For countless ages the wild cranberry flourished in many marshy areas of Central Wisconsin. In 1829 Daniel Whitney mentioned the purchase of three canoe loads of cranberries brought down the Yellow River by Indians from the area know known as Cranmoor. During the 1870's a few hardy souls literally carved out by hand the bogs in this area and, in spite of many hazards such as fires and lack of water, succeeded in establishing a new crop. With time the native vines were supplanted by higher producing selections which have given some of the highest yields per acre in the nation. At the turn of the century hand-picking predominated. Later, improved rakes replaced the colorful family groups together with their nightly entertainment. Today the machine has replaced hand labor in the operation of the bogs, and many of the simple pleasures and intimate association accompanying the laborious tasks of the cranberry bogs are now only memories of the past.

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Crupperneck Bend WV8
Scenic view of Gauley River which rises in Pocahontas County at elevation of 4100 feet and flows southwesterly to join New River, forming Great Kanawha. Cranberry, Cherry, Meadow, Williams Rivers are its tributaries.

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Cranberry Glades WV181
The Cranberry Glades are the naturalist's paradise. In a great natural bowl in nearby mountains, 4000 ft. high, is a misplaced tract of Arctic tundra in southern mountains. Here is found reindeer moss and other rare plants.

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Pocahontas County WV610
Formed from Bath, Pendleton and Randolph in 1821. Named for Pocahontas, Indian princess, friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain battle, November 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are in this county.

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Pocahontas County WV611
Formed from Bath, Pendleton, and Randolph in 1821. It bears name of Pocahontas, Indian princess, the friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain Battle, Nov. 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are here.

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Pocahontas County WV612
Formed from Bath, Pendleton, and Randolph in 1821. It bears name of Pocahontas, Indian princess, the friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain Battle, Nov. 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are here.

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Pocahontas County WV613
Formed from Bath, Pendleton and Randolph in 1821. Named for Pocahontas, Indian princess, friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain battle, November 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are in this county.

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Pocahontas County WV614
Formed from Bath, Pendleton and Randolph in 1821. Named for Pocahontas, Indian princess, friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain battle, November 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are in this county.

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Pocahontas County WV615
Formed from Bath, Pendleton and Randolph in 1821. Named for Pocahontas, Indian princess, friend of the Jamestown settlers. Site of Droop Mountain battle, November 6, 1863. The famous Cranberry Glades are in this county.

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