Lewis and Clark passed through the area of Fort Osage in present-day Missouri in June, 1804 on their journey west to the Pacific Ocean. Clark considered this spot to be a good place for a fort with its "high commanding position, more than 70 feet above high-water mark, and overlooking the river, which is here but of little depth."

Upon their return in 1806, Meriwether Lewis was named governor and William Clark was given the post of commander of the militia and Indian agent of the Louisiana Territory. Clark established Fort Osage, one of the first military outposts in the Louisiana Purchase, in 1808 to protect and promote trade with the Osage Indians. Photo by Kathy Alexander.