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Lewis, Clark and You in MontanaBy Joyce DaltonBicentennials come and go, but since Lewis & Clark’s exploration of the vast land known as the Louisiana Purchase lasted from 1804 to 1806, this is one celebration that plans to be around for awhile. Cities all along the route are taking advantage of this unique opportunity not only to stage historical re-enactments, but to showcase their permanent attractions, as well.
Early May found the Corps near Fort Peck Lake. For tourists, the main attraction is Fort Peck Dam, one of the world’s largest earth-filled dams as well as one of the biggest Roosevelt-era New Deal projects. Westward along the lake’s 1,520-mile shoreline, the C. M. Russell Wildlife Refuge, named for cowboy artist Charlie Russell, is home to sagebrush, ponderosa pines, some 200 species of birds, 45 types of mammals, abandoned homesteads, dinosaur bones and tepee rings. Past the Missouri River Breaks, the Corps reached an unanticipated split in the river. One captain headed north with a small band of men, while the other followed the southerly waterway, each looking for a waterfall which would indicate the Missouri. On the second try, they found the namesake of today’s city of Great Falls.
The waterfall that L&C found turned out to be a series of five falls. Going around the falls proved anything but easy. The men built caissons, using cottonwood logs for wheels. Provisions and gear, including canoes, were pulled uphill on these caissons or carried on the men’s backs. It took eight days to portage 18 miles. All told, four weeks passed from the time they reached the falls until they were again on their way by canoe. Travelers can learn all about this aspect of the expedition and much more at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in the city of Great Falls. A weighted rope lets visitors pull (rather, try to pull) a weight equivalent to the packed caissons. Displays illustrate the cultures of such Native American groups as the Mandan and Shoshone and there are replicas of boats used by the Corps. Also in Great Falls, the C. M. Russell Museum houses a number of original works by this great western artist, plus his log cabin studio.
Following the Missouri southward, the expedition reached a three-mile-long canyon flanked by cliffs towering 1,200 feet. “The most remarkable cliffs that we have yet seen,” Lewis wrote, bestowing the name “Gates of the Rocky Mountains.” The name still holds, minus the word “Rocky.” Today, boat tours offer a Lewis & Clark-eye view. Montana’s capital, Helena, lies a short hop southwest of the Gates. This cosmopolitan city began as Last Chance Gulch, one of the nation’s richest gold strikes. Eventually, precious metals (silver and lead also were found here) gave way to trade as a source of wealth. It’s said that by the late 1880s, more millionaires per capita called Helena home than any other U.S. city. A number of mansions still stand on Helena’s west side. The main visitors’ attraction, however, is the Montana Historical Society Museum with a gallery devoted to the art of Charlie Russell and a Montana Homeland Exhibit which traces the state’s history from early Native American times through frontier days. Attention is given to the Corps of Discovery’s explorations. At the nearby town of Townsend, Sacagawea recognized landmarks and realized that her home country and the Missouri’s headwaters were not far away.
In addition to following the footsteps of the famed explorers, 21st century travelers might take advantage of their time in Lolo to visit the private museum of Bill and Ramona Holt. The couple has turned a barn into a first-rate showplace for their vast and important collection of Native American artifacts, western art (including one of only three complete sets of bronzes, totaling 33 pieces, by Bob Scriber) and western memorabilia. The latter features saddles, a suit from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and boots, boots, boots – even pairs worn by Gene Autry and John Wayne. After repairing clothing and resting their horses, the Corps set off over the mountains, following a trail known to the Nez Perce as the Road to the Buffalo and today, called the Lolo Trail. The following summer, having attained their goal of reaching the Pacific, the expedition headed eastward, once again crossing the Lolo Pass into Montana. At Lolo, the party split up with Lewis leading a group along the Marias River and Clark and the rest overlanding to the Missouri headwaters, then dividing into three groups. Clark, Sacagawea and others followed the Yellowstone River downstream; a second party traveled by canoe down the Missouri to retrieve supplies cached at Great Falls, while a third division headed toward Canada to trade horses for supplies. However, Indians stole the animals so they made Mandan-style skin boats and floated down the Yellowstone.
Situated on the Clark Fork River, Missoula claims a number of interesting sites for modern travelers. There’s a late 19th century fort, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (sort of an elk museum), the Smoke Jumpers Center where visitors learn how these special firefighters train and battle forest fires, and the Carousel for Missoula, arguably the most beautiful carousel anywhere. A completely volunteer project, every pony was hand-carved and fitted out with adornments meaningful to the artist and the particular sponsor.
Moving on a more southerly route than his partner, Clark and his party revived their tired bodies in the warm waters of present-day Jackson Hot Springs. Southeast of Jackson, the ghost town of Bannack makes an interesting stop for modern-day visitors. Yet another gold rush town, Bannack was a lawless place where robberies and gun battles in the streets were all too common. Eventually, the town calmed down and became the first territorial capital of Montana.
Fewer than 30 miles farther east, after spotting “gangs of elk,” Clark’s party reached the site of today’s town of Livingston. Back in the days of rail travel, Livingston was the Northern Pacific’s gateway to Yellowstone National Park and remains barely 50 miles by road from the park’s north entrance. Home to an impressive array of authors and artists, Livingston boasts several museums, including one devoted to fly fishing. By mid-July 1806, Clark had reached a point where the Boulder River and Big Timber Creek enter the Yellowstone River. In spite of its name, the town of Big Timber isn’t big, but it maintains a western ambience while housing a number of art galleries and the Grand Hotel which dates to 1890 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A bit farther east along Interstate 90, a drive through Greycliff Prairie Dog Town presents close-up peeks at these curious creatures which stand sentinel, meerkat-like, atop their earthen mounds. For travelers finding themselves on this route the Sunday before Labor Day, a turn-off at the tiny town of Reed Point offers one of Montana’s more unique events, the annual Running of the Sheep when hundreds of sheep make their way down the town’s two blocks.
A week after reaching Big Timber, Clark, having been joined by the Canadian-bound group, made camp near the site of what is now Montana’s largest city, Billings. Back then, as Clark recorded, the area was filled with “immense numbers of deer, elk and buffalo.” Deer still can be found roaming some residential neighborhoods, nibbling on homeowners’ flowers. Much of Billings is framed by towering sandstone cliffs known as the Rimrocks, and the town has a fine art museum and an early 20th century mansion (the Moss Mansion) designed by the architect of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. “The Horse, of Course,” a 2003 fund-raising event when artists painted life-sized horse statues in designs never seen in the equestrian world, was followed two years later by a similarly adorned array of big-horned sheep. Both stand around the town, including in the airport’s baggage carousel.
Before traversing the last stretch of eastern Montana and meeting up with Lewis just over the North Dakota line, Clark carved his name and the date, July 25, 1806, on a 200-foot sandstone mound known as Pompey’s Pillar. Named by Clark for Sacagawea’s son, whom he had nicknamed “Pomp,” the pillar is but a short drive from Billings. Other than the recently discovered remains at Traveler’s Rest, this signature is the only physical reminder of the most renowned exploration in U.S. history. Contact information: Images by Joyce Dalton |
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While
the expedition traversed what eventually would become 11 states (Illinois to
Oregon), it covered more miles in Montana than in any other region. Naturally,
the state’s mammoth size played a role here, but additionally, on the return
journey, the Corps of Discovery split into four parties when it re-entered
Montana, thus covering ever more of its mountains and prairies. In total, about
one-fourth of the exploration was in what is now our fourth largest state.
Following
the Missouri River, the Corps crossed into today’s Montana from North Dakota in
the spring of 1805. Here, Lewis saw his first grizzly bear. Even today, nearly
every animal noted in Clark’s journal (except the grizzly) can still be found in
eastern Montana. A good place to view many of them is Medicine Lake National
Wildlife Refuge, 24 miles north of Culbertson.
Before
proceeding to Great Falls, tourists should consider an overnight in Fort Benton,
44 miles northeast of Great Falls. Points of interest include a scenic location
on the Missouri and a museum whose exhibits claim buffalo once housed in the
Smithsonian. Not least among the town’s attractions is the Grand Union Hotel,
dating to 1882 and according to many, once the finest lodging in the entire
Montana territory. Situated beside the Missouri, its renovated guest rooms
display what a spokesperson termed “Ralph Lauren-inspired rustic elegance.” It’s
not hard to visualize the fur trappers, riverboat captains, army officers and
gold seekers who frequented its public rooms in days past.
Great
Falls claims an especially fine bed and breakfast establishment, Collins
Mansion. The latter word is no exaggeration. This 1891 dwelling, listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, boasts such architectural touches as
stained glass, paneled chimneys, bay windows, moldings, gables and a verandah.
Each of the individually furnished bedrooms has a private bath.
Of
course, she was right. At the headwaters, however, the expedition faced a
dilemma: three separate rivers flowed into the Missouri. Which to follow? After
naming them the Gallatin, the Madison and the Jefferson and exploring each, the
Corps correctly chose the latter. Fittingly, the town later established here is
known as Three Forks and a state park offers interpretive signs, hiking, fishing
and floating.
In August 1805, the expedition reached the Beaverhead
Valley where the river of the same name feeds into the Jefferson. Rather than
follow this river southward, as the Corps did, 21st century journeyers might
travel along the Ruby River on Rt. 287
for a look at two major attractions
unrelated to the explorers --- the ghost towns of Virginia City and Nevada City.
Like so many other sites in the region, Montana’s second territorial capital,
Virginia City, owes its origins to gold. Though both towns have been restored,
Nevada City retains more of a ghostly ambience while Virginia City is alive with
shops, eateries and even two theaters. A narrow-gauge rail line connects the two
during the summer.
Early in September 1805, the Corps headed north along the
western edge of Montana through the forested Bitterroot Valley. The Salish and
Kootenai Indians “received us friendly,” as Clark recorded in his journal. Their
route is one that still rewards today’s visitors, passing through magnificent
scenery and small towns of historic and cultural interest, such as Hamilton,
Corvallis and Stevensville. Among the area’s attractions, the Daly mansion in
Hamilton (Daly was one of Montana’s fabled copper kings) and the various
National Register of Historic Places-designated homes and churches of
Stevensville merit a look.
Faced
with snow-covered mountains and the certainty of winter’s approach, the
expedition set up a camp, which they named Travelers Rest, at Lolo and spent
time there on both the westward and eastward journeys. In 2002, archaeologists
found evidence of their camp, marking it as one of the few sites along the
entire route to offer physical proof of the expedition’s presence. In June 2003,
a Lolo Pass Visitor Center opened near the boundary of Montana and Idaho. The
ceremony featured a tribal blessing, words by various state and tribal
dignitaries and the unveiling of a memorial to Stephen Ambrose, author of
Undaunted Courage and other works about Lewis & Clark.
With
six Corps members, five Nez Perce guides and 17 horses, Lewis traversed the
future site of the city of Missoula, then turned northeastward, establishing
Camp Disappointment within sight of one of Montana’s most magnificent vistas and
major tourist destinations, Glacier National Park.
For a special and historic lodging facility, consider
detouring an hour’s scenic drive northwest of Missoula to Alberton where the
Hotel Montana offers cozy and attractive overnight facilities in a small
property that once served as a crew change stop for Milwaukee Railroad
personnel. Established in 1909, this bed and breakfast inn offers 10 cozily
furnished rooms with private baths and a superb breakfast to the strains of a
harp played by co-proprietor, Rebecca. Nearby, outdoor enthusiasts will find
excellent whitewater rafting and fly fishing.
Turning
eastward along the Gallatin River, Clark’s group crossed what later became known
as the Bozeman Trail, named for John Bozeman who led mid-19th century wagon
trains into the region. The town of Bozeman, considered Montana’s fastest
growing city, claims museums, art galleries and several good restaurants. Most
noteworthy is the Museum of the Rockies with a fine dinosaur exhibit, historical
memorabilia, Native American artifacts and a planetarium.
