Three States

Today we drove in 3 different states.  We started in Nebraska, on the west side of the Missouri River, then we crossed over the river into Iowa, then we went north into South Dakota.  The rolling farmlands which have been so pretty, are starting to flatten out.

We left early again, this time headed to Fort Atkinson State Historic Park.  This was the real Council Bluff where Lewis and Clark met with the Indians and they thought it would be a good place for the US to build a fort.  It was a fort unlike any I’ve ever seen.  It was built like a log cabin, with 3 sides, the 4th open to the river.  The barracks were build along the walls on the inside, all with low wide windows.

The unusual part of this fort was the Punishment Room.  These are some pretty sick dudes.  The mildest punishment was having someone stand on a stump and wear a sign describing his crime, like “Drunkard”.  There was the ‘horse’, a horizontal high pole they’d sit on with their arms and legs tied, again with the sign.  Then there was a box they were locked in with only their head sticking out that would only allow them to crouch – not sit or stand.  These were the mild ones – not to mention things like cat-o-nines and running the gauntlet.  Yikes!

The next stop was yet another Lewis and Clark Museum/Interpretative Center/Visitor Center – this one the Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa.  They are all starting to run together and are getting repetitious.  I’m hearing the same stories multiple times and have seen several “exact” replicas of their boats, all fo them different sizes.

This boat is interesting.  L & C observed the Indians crossing the river in something like this.  It’s a grid of sticks with a buffalo hide pulled over it.  If you paddle only on one side, you’ll go in a circle.  So you need to paddle alternately or pull the oar towards you.

I’m going to spare you by not posting any more boat photos, even though I have plenty more.