On June 10th and 11th, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition camped near Stump Island or Sheeco Island. Chicot is French for stump. Clark described the site in his journal as “the island covered in stumps.” The expedition planned to camp for one night; the next day the wind was not favorable for travel and the team stayed for another night, giving them time to explore the land around them.

The city of Glasgow, Missouri has a park named Stump Island. This is not the location that the Lewis and Clark expedition camped; according to recent research, the island is actually located four miles west of Glasgow. The marker placed in the park in 1966 reads, “So named by Lewis and Clark on their expedition in 1804, noted in a diary as an island covered with stumps and later connected to the mainland as it now exists.”

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Kelcie Lloyd