Lewis and Clark Group Campsite Completed at Ponca State Park

[Bumpus]

NGPC news release, 7/14/08:

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Construction of a mock Lewis and Clark encampment that will be available for rent by organized groups such as scouts, churches, and 4-H, recently was completed at Ponca State Park (SP), according to Superintendent Jeff Fields.

Fields said the educational campsite features two large wall tents (officer’s tents) and 10 small wedge tents set up in an early 1800s military style encampment. The riverside site is located on the park’s north addition on a scenic and remote stretch of the Missouri National Recreational River. Water and restrooms are available on-site.

This campsite offers groups an exclusive opportunity to sense and contemplate what a camp out on the Missouri River might have been like in the early 1800s, Fields said. Visitors can experience the sounds and smells of the Missouri River while camping, the same as Lewis and Clark experienced – while learning about our natural and cultural heritage.

Funding for this project was provided by the National Park Service’s Lewis and Clark Cost Share Challenge Grant Program.

Groups can reserve this site up to one year in advance, June-October. Call the Ponca SP office at (402) 755-2284 for reservations. The fee for renting the area is $1 a night (primitive camping rate) plus $1 a person after the initial eight people.