In 1803, after the Louisiana Purchase, Pres. Jefferson established what was known as, "The Corps of Discovery" which was intended to further explore this great land, meet and establish relations with native tribes and document what they found. It was the Lewis and Clark Expedition that headed this pursuit. Travel then could be accomplished best by river and the keel boats were the best mode of transportation for men traveling into unknown territory. They left from St.Louis, Blue Lake being one of their encampments.

Every year, the Friends of Discovery hold a re-enactment of the events that took place here almost 200 years ago. This group of individuals have build replicas, almost identical to the details, of the original keel boats used by Lewis and Clark. They are available for visitors to view at Blue Lake, on the shores of the Lewis and Clark State Park in Onawa, Iowa. Representatives of the Friends of Discovery are available to answer questions about the rustic boats, a very interesting sight indeed. One can step back in time to get the feeling of the difficulties encountered by those exploring new territory, controlling these heavy yet small craft, by poles.

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