In the December of 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark came to the St. Louis area. They were here by the orders of President Thomas Jefferson with a group of hand picked, skilled men, named the Corp of Discovery, to chart and explore the Missouri River. Their goal was to find a way, by water, to the Pacific Ocean. The St. Louis area played a large part in preparing and equipping the Corps of Discovery for their journey. Being advised to spend the winter in the area instead of immediately setting out, Lewis and Clark had Camp River Dubois built for their men where final supplies and information were gathered. Lewis and Clark made trips to St. Louis many times as they waited and the Cahokia Courthouse, that was also used as a post office, became their headquarters. They broke camp in May of 1804 and made stops in St. Louis and St. Charles and several others before leaving the St. Louis surrounding area. The Lewis and Clark Expedition would eventually last almost 2 1/2 years, taking them over 8,000 miles and would become one of the most remarkable information gathering expeditions of the time. Below are some of the places that were either stops on the Expedition or now commemorate the Expedtion, the men of the Corps of Discovery and their leader, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.