Students explore Lost Tomahawk

Earlier this school year, seventh grade students in Whitehall helped to come up with a permanent name for a new fishing access and paddler's campsite on the Jefferson River near Waterloo.

The students picked the name "Lost Tomahawk" and last Friday were not only able to visit the location, were also able to learn more about Lewis and Clark at the Owl River Camp located on Mayflower Road.

Seventh grade teacher Lauren McDonald said the students had a project this school year where they made their own journals that were similar to those of Lewis and Clark.

She said this was a great experience for the students who are often times more visual -- and visiting the locations was a chance for them to get out and see where Lewis and Clark visited rather than just in a textbook.

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

Jefferson River Canoe Trail President Tom Elpel told the students in 2017 that trail members thought it would be fun to have the students come up with a name.

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."