Students select access site name

Whitehall seventh graders worked together last Friday to help come up with a permanent name for a new fishing access and paddler's campsite on the Jefferson River near Waterloo.

The students spent time reading through the journals of Lewis and Clark written in August of 1805, when they explored near the area of the site that had beene using the temporary name of "Waterloo Grove".

The 25 students individually came up with ideas after reading the journals, and the class as a whole selected the top three names that were given to the Jefferson River Canoe Trail Board.

The top vote getter was "Lost Tomahawk" with 13 votes. "Cotton Timber" received 10 votes and "Fresh Track" had two votes.

JRCT President Tom Elpel told the students that board members thought it would be fun to have the students come up with a name, and told them he would recommend "Lost Tomahawk" to the board. He told the Ledger Saturday the board approved the name change selected by the students.

Elpel added they hope to have a land management plan and signage with the new name by spring.

The property features a diverse mix of cottonwood, juniper, water birch, willow, rich forage, and whitetail deer. At 30 acres, it will be the only substantial piece of riparian public land on the upper Jefferson where people can walk their dog, go bird watching, or hunt for morel mushrooms.

"The campsite will serve local paddlers, Lewis and Clark enthusiasts, and anyone following the increasingly popular 3,900-mile source-to-sea route from Brower's spring to the Gulf of Mexico," said Elpel. "This is an especially appropriate location because floaters often have to unpack all their gear to portage around the adjacent diversion dam anyway."