Following Meriwether Lewis and William Clark – The Corps of Discovery II – Chapter 3: Montana and Idaho

On May 27, 1805, the expedition crossed into what is today the State of Montana.  They would spend until Mid-September crossing this very large state.  Montana is the fourth largest state in area.  We stayed in Glendive, Montana, just across the North Dakota border.  Our pleasant temperatures have now left us and it is already hot at 8 AM.

Before we rejoin their trail, we made a detour to the Little Bighorn battlefield, where Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer found his luck ran out on June 25^th, 1876.  The annihilation of Custer (1839-1876) and his command put a bit of a damper on the 100^th anniversary of independence celebrations that we held on July 4^th, 1876.  You might note how young Custer was, only about 37.  Remember that he was a General in the Civil War; that would have been when he was in his mid-twenties.  He must have really been something of a leader to gain rank that quickly; as it certainly wasn’t on account of his West Point Military Academy performance.

If ever in Hardin, Montana, stop for lunch at the Amish or Mennonite restaurant.  Good food.

This battle has had the most books written about it than any other USA battle.  The Civil War battle of Gettysburg ranks second in books written about it.

The battle is known as the Battle of Little Big Horn, or the Battle of Greasy Grass (the name of the ridge where part of the battle was fought, or Custer’s Last Stand.

 The black marker is where Custer fell.

Custer and General Terry made a critical mistake that resulted in this disaster.  First, Terry divided his forces and then Custer again divided his forces, sending Major Reno and Captain Benteen off on differing paths.  He undoubtedly thought that he was scouting out the area.  Unfortunately across this quiet loop of the Little Bighorn River an encampment of about 7,000 Indians from Several tribes was located.  Of these, were about 1,500 to 2,000 very well armed warriors.  Custer had left his cannons and Gatling guns (a predecessor to the machine gun) at home, as they were too bulky to haul from Fort Abraham Lincoln in today’s North Dakota.  Another problem was that he did not believe his Crow Indian Scouts when they told him of the large number of warriors camped nearby.  Yet another problem was that many of his soldiers were recent immigrants and did not speak or understand English very well; this caused a collapse of command when orders were issued under fire.  Talk about goofing up.

In 1869, Custer promised to never fight the Cheyenne people again.  Chief Stone Forehead of the Cheyenne uttered what turned out to be prophetic words to Custer.  He said:  “If you break your promise, you and your soldiers will go to dust . . . you and your whole command will be killed.” 

Jim and Sandy had visited this site years ago.  When they were here, everything was about the soldiers and very little about the Indians.  The park rangers were all Caucasians.  Many of the park rangers are now Crow Indians.  The Crow Indians served as scouts for Custer.  They believed that resistance to the white man was a losing game, and they did not want to lose their land in this area.  Today, a large Crow Indian Reservation nearby attests to the pragmatic wisdom of that choice.

The visitor center has a very good video about the battle and the rangers give talks throughout the day about various aspects of the battle.  The Crow ranger focused on the movements of both the soldiers and the Indians during the several-hour battle.  Also in the visitor center are several artifacts from the battle.  They have Custer’s map case and Sitting Bull’s (1831-1890) bow and arrows.  While Sitting Bull was at Little Big Horn, he did not participate in the battle, as at this stage in his life, he was more of a spiritual leader than a war leader.

The painting that hangs in the visitor center is said to be what is believed to be the most accurate depiction of his final moments, where arrows fell like rain.  An especially bad day for the Custer family, as in addition to George, his brother Tom, his brother Austin, a brother-in-law and a nephew were all killed at the battle.

On the day we visited, it was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so we did not make use of many of the battlefield trails.  The battlefield associated with Custer and his command spreads over a few miles.  The day after the battle, General Terry and Col. Gibbon arrived to the gruesome site of many dead horses and the mutilated remains of the soldiers.  The Indians had removed their fallen warriors, but left the soldiers where they fell.  Wherever a soldier fell a marker was placed at that site, in later years.  This gives a good sense of the retreat to Last Stand Hill.  When known, the name of the fallen soldier is inscribed on the marker.  Due to the heat and mutilation, many of the bodies’ identities were unknowable and shows this on the marker.  The Indians believed that if a warrior was killed in battle he would be a warrior in the afterlife unless you mutilated him to such a degree that he would be unable to fight.

The largest concentration of markers of the 262 killed is on Last Stand Hill.  Most of the remains were later moved here and were interred underneath the large monument.  Custer’s body was removed to the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he was buried.  I guess rank has its privileges even after death.  The black marker stone is where Custer died.

Even the horses have been honored by a marker.

Since 2003, there has been an effort to honor the Indian dead.  As the bodies were removed on that day, only oral tradition of the tribes can be relied on to identify the location and identity of the Indian fallen.  Their markers are of a red stone, in contrast to the soldier’s white markers.  I thought that was a very fitting way to remember those who died fighting for their homeland.

On the other side of the park road from Last Stand Hill, a monument to the various tribes that participated in the battle has been erected.  There are several panels in the monument, each associated with a specific tribe.  The panel lists the tribe name and the names of the warriors and those who died that day.  The number of Indian dead is believed to be fewer than 100.

After our diversion from Lewis and Clark’s exploits, we spent two nights in Billings.  After the first night, we returned to the trail making the short drive from Billings to Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.  Here is what Clark had to say:

July 25, 1806 [Clark] at 4 PM I arrived at a remarkable rock . . . I marked my name and the day of the month and year.  This rock which I shall call Pompy’s Tower …

The 150 foot Pillar is located on the banks of the Yellowstone River a short drive east of Billings.   William Clark’s signature at the pillar is the only physical evidence “on site” of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Clark named it after Sacajawea’s son, who he had nicknamed Pompy.  When his journal was edited in 1814 by Biddle and Allen, they thought Clark meant to name if after the Roman General Pompey (106 – 49 BC) and so the error remains.

You may notice that the year is 1806, which means that he was here on the return trip.  The Corps divided into smaller groups on the way back in order to explore a larger area.   There is a series of stairs up to the signature, and then more up to the top of the pillar.  The view of the Yellowstone River and the surrounding area is quite scenic.

Recently, a not so intelligent tourist decided that his initials should also be carved into the stone near Clark’s signature.  This is a no no.  The person also had signed into the guest book.  When he returned to Washington State, the state police welcomed him with an arrest warrant.  Tried and convicted, as I recall he served a year in jail and paid a $15,000 fine for his stupidity.  However, he can come a see his initials, as they have not been sandblasted off of the rock.

Our hosts at the bed and breakfast where we stayed in Billings said a great place to have fish and chips is Crazy Mary’s restaurant.  Haven’t had this good of fish and chips since New Zealand.

Eastern and central Montana is famous for the wheat grown there.  As we traveled from Billings to Great Falls, we saw many acres of wheat in harvest-ready condition and harvested fields, with only bales of wheat-straw evidencing the crop.  The golden wheat swaying in the breeze is a beautiful sight.

The Lewis and Clark Party split up a few days before mid June in attempt to determine which of the several rivers they were encountering was the source of the Missouri River.   The Indians back in North Dakota had told him that they would encounter several waterfalls and that this would be the Missouri River.   Lewis had this to say:

June 13, 1805 [Lewis] I had proceeded on … about two miles …. Whin my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water …. A roaring too tremendious to be mistaken  for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri.

Our party arrived in Great Falls, Montana and set out to view these great falls.  The falls are still about 80 foot in height, as when Lewis saw them.  However, Ryan Dam has lessened their greatness considerably. 

The series of five waterfalls in close succession posed a problem for the expedition, as they could not just pole or paddle upriver.  They had to carry every bit of their supplies and also their boats around the falls.  Some of the terrain was just outright awful for them.  It took the better part of a month to make the several back and forth trips to get everything beyond the falls.  Prickly pear cactus spines punctured their thin moccasins and gave many a cut foot.  Remember, a simple infection in those days could be fatal.  They were fortunate, as no one died of injuries here or elsewhere on the journey.  To help things along, the area was infested with rattlesnakes. 

June 14, 1805 [Lewis]  I arrived at a fall of about 19 feet … a few hundred yards further … a cascade of about 50 feet perpendicular.

The 19 foot fall is known as Crooked Falls.  Rainbow Dam has essentially dried up these falls except when the overflow spillway is needed during flood season.  The 50 foot falls are known as Rainbow Falls. Lewis named them “Beautiful Cascade”.  Not very impressive when we visited.  I imagine during spring flood they would be quite a sight.

June 14, 1805 [Lewis] I had scarcely infixed my eyes my eyes from this pleasing object (Lewis is talking about Rainbow Falls) before I discovered another fall.

Lewis was speaking of Colter Falls, named after John Colter, a member of the expedition.  If you have ever traveled to Yellowstone National Park, you may remember Colter Lake.  John Colter is reportedly the first white man to see what was to become Yellowstone.  Many did not believe him when he described the thermal features of this our first National Park.  Back to the story.  Colter Falls at only 6 feet in height are now submerged beneath the waters of Rainbow Dam.

Captain Lewis went a further 2.5 miles upstream and encountered another fall of about 26 feet.  He named these falls Black Eagle Falls.

In the City of Great Falls there is yet another Lewis and Clark Visitor Center.  Like all of the others we stopped at, this is another place where you should stop if in the area.  Exhibits upstairs focus on President Jefferson and the preparation for the exploration.  Downstairs views the travels from the perspective of what happened on the expedition (on the right side) and the differing tribes that they encountered (on the left).  After leaving the Mandan’s, the expedition saw not a single Indian for the next four months.  Needless-to-say, I’m sure many Indians did see them, but chose to avoid contact.

Let’s revisit our nicknames from the trip (see Chapter 1).  When Jim and Sandy put buckskins for a photo at the visitor center, she said she looked like a “sack of potatoes”, thus, acquiring the name “Saca-potato. 

Elaine and I also dressed for the occasion.













When we returned to the car, Elaine sat in the back seat and was thus christened “sits-in-the-back.”  I had searched for double-edge razor blade refills since we entered South Dakota and found them in Great Falls.  I became “Blade-on-Face.”  Jim just could not seem to get enough of a snack food called Fiddle Faddle (it is something lick Cracker Jacks without the peanuts).  He became Chief Fiddle Faddle. 

While the visitor center emphasized the local area, it also included exhibits about the whole trip.  Some nice artwork graces the walls and open spaces of the center.

Elaine found an example of her big interest, quilts.

In the hungry times that they experienced crossing the mountains on the upper Snake River there was a need for food. 

Our next stop was Giant Springs, a very large freshwater spring downriver from Great Falls.  The expedition traveled on the north side of the Missouri River and thus missed the springs.  They were discovered whenvthey went around the falls on the south side of the river.

June 18, 1805 [Clark] … we proceeded on up the river a little more than a mile to the largest fountain or Spring I ever Saw, and doubt if it is not the largest in America Known, this water boils up from under th rocks near the edge of the river and falls imediately into the river 8 feet and keeps its Colour for ½ a mile.

Giant Springs emerges from a fracture in the Earth’s limestone.  It then travels upward for 700 feet at a force of 300 PSI, discharging 150 million gallons of clear water every day.  What Clark said remains true today.  That is the water goes right into the Muddy Missouri, and the spring water keeps its clarity for at least a half of a mile downstream.

Much of the springs waters flow into the Roe River, at 201 feet in length it is one of the shortest rivers in the USA.  You can view the source and mouth of the river quite easily.  I think in many areas this would not qualify as a river, maybe just an outflow. but you take fame where you can get it I guess.

A Trout Hatchery is on site, where you can view several species of trout, even one that appears to be blue in color.

A short drive from Great Falls is First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park. 

Before they had horses, Indians would attempt to get a buffalo herd to stampede itself over a cliff, with tribal members at the bottom of the cliff ready to butcher the kill.  This park is one of several in the USA where this type of hunting was done. How did they get the herd to stampede you ask?  A volunteer teenage boy who had not gone through the rituals associated with becoming a warrior would drape a buffalo robe over himself and make noises like a buffalo calf in distress.  When the herd moved toward him, he would throw off the robe and run like heck towards the cliff.  The buffaloes would then chase after him.  If he was too slow or stumbled, he was trampled to death.  However, if he reached the lip of the cliff, he would jump down onto a very small ledge.  The buffalo would follow, but could not stop and dropped to their demise.  If the boy survived, he did not have to go through the rituals of manhood and became a warrior for his bravery.

Pretty good visitor center.  Fortunately, the rattlesnake is stuffed.  We did see many signs warning of these reptiles, but never saw or heard one during the entire trip.  Those of you who know me well, know that I am like Indiana Jones in my feelings toward snakes.

After leaving the Great Falls area, we traveled a scenic highway that parallels the Missouri River and leaves the plains to enter the mountainous country.  Lewis and Clark hoped that once they got over the continental divide they would see a vast plain leading all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  There was very little traffic and we made a couple of stops to enjoy nature’s grandeur. 

July 19, 1805 [Lewis] this evening we entered much the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen.  These clifts rise from the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the height of 1200 feet.

The Corps of Discovery also passed along this route, but not in the comfort of an air-conditioned automobile on a smooth highway.  Some very gorgeous views or is it gorges views?  If you can't read these signs, just click on the image to enlarge it.  Depending on your browser, either use the back arrow or click on image to reduce it back to normal size.

The road took us through Butte, Montana.  This area was not seen by the expedition, but was an interesting place to stop, as it is the home of a very large open-pit copper mine, which can be viewed at a pullover on the main highway leading into Butte.

Over-viewing the copper pit is a large statue of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.   Erected on the top of a distant hill belies its large size – 90 foot tall.  Had to use the telephoto to get the shot.

Great Falls is east of the Bitterroot Mountains where the Corps struggled through on the way across the continental divide.   I’ll relate Sacajawea’s unbelievable story now, as we did not visit the site where these events took place on this trip when the Party first encountered the Shoshone Indians.  Sacajawea was a Shoshone and thus spoke their language – she was on the trip because of this ability to act as an interpreter.  Matters were a little tense between the Shoshones until Sacajawea arrived.

August 17, 1805 [Lewis] … Shortly after Captain Clark arrived with the interpreter Charbono, and the Indian woman (that would be Sacajawea), who proved to be a sister of the Chif Cameahwait…

 What are the chances of that happening?  Sacajawea was the Chief’s sister!  Of course, when she was kidnapped, he was just another young man, not yet a chief.  Until then Lewis and Clark were making little headway in purchasing horses from the Shoshone.  Now it was like old home week, and the horses were gladly sold to the explorers.  The painting depicts this meeting.  Sacajawea is shown hugging another Indian woman.  This woman was kidnapped at the same time as Sacajawea, but had escaped and found her way back to the tribe years before Sacajawea appeared on the scene.  What a reunion that must have been.  I am amazed that she chose to continue on with the trip once she was back with her own people.  I guess she felt more loyalty to Charbonneau, who was her husband.

In August of 1805 and July of 1806, the expedition stayed in and about the area known as Big Hole, Montana, one of the most remote areas of the state.  After we had a very good lunch in the small town of Wisdom (Jim and Sandy heard about how the good the pies were at Crossings Bar and Grill), we proceeded on to Big Hole National Battlefield.  The Battle took place on August 9 and 10, 1877 between the Nez Perce Indians and the US cavalry under Col. John Gibbon.  The Nez Perce were one of the tribes that aided the Corps of Discovery and probably kept them from starvation.

September 12, 1805 [Sgt. Ordway] we found no water or place to camp … and Scarcely ant feed for our horses.

September 14, 1805 [Clark] here we were compelled to kill a Colt for our men and Selves to eat for the want of meat…

September 15, 1805 [Clark]… we could find no water … and make use of the Snow … to cook the remnt. Of our Colt…

September 16, 1805 [Clark]the Snow in The morning is 4 inches deep on the old Snow, and by night we found it from 6 to 8 Inches deep…. I have been wet and as cold in every part as I ever was in my life.

September 16, 1805 [Whitehouse] … Set out without any thing to eat…

September 19, 1805 [Lewis]  … several of the men are unwell of the disentary…

Get the picture?  They were starving and ate some more of their horses.  Enter the Nez Perce on

September 22, 1805 [Clark] the hunters … killed 3 Deer this morning … set out with the Chief and his Son

I don’t think they would have been so welcoming if they had any idea of what would happen to their people 70 years later when gold was found on the lands they had been guaranteed by treaty with the white man. 

Back to Big Hole.  The place itself is a flatland surrounded on all sides by mountains, thus the name. 

The battle was one of a series of 10 Battles in the Nez Perce war.  Before the war, the Nez Perce prided themselves on never having killed a white settler.  The Nez Perce decided to get out of the USA and made a 1,170 mile journey in an unsuccessful attempt to get to Canada.  Battle loses weakened the tribe by attrition of warriors, women and children.  The last battle was fought September 30-October 5 at the Battle of Bear Paw, a scant 40 miles from Canada.

The visitor center overlooks the actual battleground.  The canon  is the actual one that the Nez Perce captured during the battle.  They did not know how to use it, so they disassembled it and tossed the barrel away.  The retrieved cannon barrel is part of the exhibit inside the visitor center.

Each day at the Battlefield, the teepee is put up in the morning and taken down at closing.   Saca-potato and Sits-in-the-Back were asked to help, as warriors did not do such work in the past. 

Although Sandy had her hands full with the very long poles, she and Elaine managed to take the teepee down without injury.

At 7624 foot, we cross Chief Joseph Pass and are now in Idaho.  When the expedition crossed the Continental Divide they had hoped to see an easily crossed plain.  What they saw was more mountains and then more mountains, and so on.  This put to rest the thought of finding the long sought after Northwest Passage traversing the North American Continent.  From August 30 to September 3^rd the expedition sought to find a pass where today’s Chief Joseph Pass road crosses.  They had to hack out a way across at Lost Trail Pass, but gave up on that and crossed at Lolo Pass around September 13, 1805.  They still were suffering from lack of food.

The Corps of Discovery abandoned its plan to canoe down the North Fork of the Salmon River and opted to go north and canoe down the Snake River, which they mistakenly believed to be the Columbia River.  They could not consult a map, as they were the mapmakers.  We decided to travel down the North Fork and found the “100 Acre Wood” bed and breakfast to stay at north of Salmon, Idaho.  It is surrounded by forested hills and has a lovely lake on premises.

The interior of the B & B was very nice and the breakfast was scrumptious.  Elaine and I enjoyed a soak in the hot tub located outside of our room.  While there were mosquitoes, the steam from the treated water seemed to repel them, thankfully.  Incidentally, in the journal entries written by Lewis, Clark, Ordway, Gass, Whitehouse, the word "mosquito was spelled 42 different ways.

Our route diverted from the Corps once again, as we were heading for Boise (not on the Lewis and Clark route) to stay with Elaine’s sister and her husband for a couple of days.  The first stop was at Salmon, said to be the childhood home of Sacajawea.  Located on the east side of town is the Sacajawea Cultural, Educational and Interpretive Center.  This was a Sunday, and the Center did not open for a couple of hours after we arrived.   The center was quite small, so we decided not to wait for it to open.  However, there is a short loop trail on site that we took.  Along the trail are various exhibits that show how the natives lived during that era.

What I found most interesting was that salmon spawned locally.  Take a look at a map of the USA and see how far inland Salmon, Idaho is; but I guess it would be strange to have a town named Salmon when no salmon were present.  As you enter the town, an interesting sculpture can be viewed.

The rest of the day was spent traversing Idaho along the Salmon River. 

In some of the cuts made by the river one sees the clear sign of the volcanic nature of these mountains.

Then through the scenic Sawtooth Mountains.  The mountain roads were good, but very winding, with us encountering switchback after switchback.  No one got car sick and we arrived in Boise for a relaxing two-night stay.   Thanks Rose and Merle.

Our last stop in Idaho was the Nez Perce National Historic Park, whose focus, not surprisingly,  is the Nez Perce tribe.  A Nez Perce docent gave a talk on cradle boards and how they were and are used by young mothers. 

Very good exhibit on Tribal regalia and an actual old hollowed-out canoe.

This last photo is an actual ribbon given by the Corps to the Nez Perce so long ago.  Authentic articles from the Corps are rare encounters along their trail.

That evening we stayed in Lewiston, Idaho which borders Clarkston, Washington, where we begin our final chapter of our trip.