NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (KMTV) — In Nebraska City, a small crew has worked 'morning, noon and night' for seven months on a five-cabin replica of Lewis and Clark's fort built east of St. Louis in 1803.
- The Wood River replica, situated at 100 Valmont Drive in Nebraska City, honors the materials and techniques used back then.
- Next year, once a surrounding wall is constructed, the attraction will be completely done.
- The replica will formally open to visitors this weekend during the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Center 20th Reunion.
Friday: School Day Living History (home schools encouraged)
Saturday and Sunday: all visitors welcome
Call 402-874-9900 to schedule your group
Continue reading for the story, as adapted from the broadcast transcript.
It's near the Missouri River - atop a bluff in Otoe County.
"In seven months, we've got this done. That's not bad for the geriatric crowd," Butch Bouvier joked.
Humor, like hard work and a passion for history, abound.
"We're old. Lewis and Clark and their crew? They had 18, 19, 20-year-old guys that were energetic and strong and healthy. Here, we've got a couple of old guys. It wears you down," Doug Friedli admitted, then added, "But at the same time, what a sense of accomplishment."
All five cabins in the Wood River replica are now complete. The crew aimed to be this far along in time for the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Center's 20th Reunion. They've worked 'morning, noon and night' Bouvier explained - committed throughout to authenticity.
"That was the point. Because people look around and they say, 'Ah man, how'd you do that, what's this, and what's that?' Or they come in and they see the beds and you know they wanna lay down in it."
Like most of the furnishings, the cabins were made from scratch honoring the techniques and materials Lewis and Clark would have used outside St. Louis in 1803.
"In the grand scheme of things, we're about 80 percent done," Friedli estimated. "The next big project, we'll build a wall around the outside."
That work will start next spring. They'll be all done fall of 2025. But the site is ready for visitors now.
"Well, it's hands-on living history. They can touch it," Bouvier said of the project.
Guests can also try history. Some visitors will get to make rope, for example, similar to what would have been used on nearly everything back then - from boats to beds.
Reenactors will regularly fill the grounds to help teach about what's there - like the 15-star flag and more gleaned from the 'preponderance of evidence,' as Bouvier is known to explain.
"You learn from history. History repeats itself. Sometimes you learn... 'Don't do that again.' And sometimes you learn... 'Hey, you can do it again 'cause it was good,'" he said.
Donors have helped so far. Friedli will continue his fundraising efforts to help sustain programming, with a focus on kids.
"They have a greater appreciation after seeing, and touching, and tasting and smelling (history)," he beamed.