“Hope and the Westward Expansion Memorial”

The city of St. Louis is home to the 19-Acre Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, it is home to the Gateway Arch, the site of The Dred Scott Trail, the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the city of my birth.

Since 1968, I have toured The Museum of Westward Expansion more than a dozen times and I always imagine the millions of settlers and adventurers first sight of the Mississippi river which for many was the largest body of water, their eyes had ever seen.

Personally, I would have thought long and hard before crossing the river on a wooden ferry tethered and guided by a rope.

One hundred miles north of St. Louis, lies Mark Twains birthplace, and boyhood home, Hanibal, MO. The river holds many tales and the famous author, Samuel Clemons aka “Mark Twain”  used the river as a backdrop for his famous novels the adventures of Huckeberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

The American Cruise line corporation offers daily Mark Twain river tours along with multi-day-cruises of the upper and lower Mississippi River.

Many Cities located along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers including St. Louis have casino boats designed and fashioned to the style of river boats of the early 19th century.

So when you travel over the Mississippi or Misourri Rivers reflect upon the settlers and adventurers, who traveled along single track paths to cross the rivers on wooden ferry boats with the hope of a better life.

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