Headwaters of the Missouri River

CLARK July 25, 1805  We proceeded on a few miles to the three forks of the Missouri those three forks are nearly of a Size, the North fork appears to have the most water and must be Considered as the one best calculated for us to assend...I wrote a note informing Capt Lewis the rout I intended to take, and proceeded on up the main North fork thro' a vallie."

The Corps had reached the headwaters of the Missouri, formed by the confluence of three rivers, which they named the Madison, (after the Secretary of State,) the Jefferson, (after "the author of our enterprise" as Lewis stated it,)  and the Galatin. (after the Secretary of the Treasury who had worked hard to allocate the funds.)

They knew to expect this confluence because Sacajawea had begun to recognize the territory. It was at this very place that, when she was 12 years old,  she had been camped with her family, on their summer hunting grounds, when a group of Hidhatsa Indian attacked. Several of her family were killed, and she was abducted. She was taken to the Mandan villages where the French voyageur, Charbonnau is said to have won her in a card game.

This very place is where Sacajawea was taken prisoner.

The Jefferson flows toward the camera in the distance. The Madison comes in from the left, forming the Missouri, and exiting to the right. The Gallatin joins in about a mile down stream.

It was at this place where the Beaverhead river and the Big Hole River joined the form the Jefferson. The Corps correctly followed the Beaverhead.

 After three forks, we visited the town of Three Forks and noticed the stately old Sacajawea Hotel

It was there I met my Indian Princess.











LEWIS August 8, 1805 "...the Indian woman recognized the point of a high plain to our right which she informed us was not very distant from the summer retreat of her nation on a river beyond the mountains which runs to the west. this hill she says her nation calls the beaver's head from a conceived remblance of it's figure to the head of an animal. she assures us that we shall either find her people on this river or on the river immediately west of it's source; which from it's present size cannot be very distant. as it is now all important with us to meet with those people as soon as possible, I determined to leave the charge of the party, and the care of the lunar observations to Capt. Clark; and to proceed tomorrow with a small party to the source of the principal stream of this river and pass the mountains to the Columbia; and down that river untill I found the Indians; in short it is my resolusion to find them or some others, who have horses if it should cause me a trip of one month. for without horses we shall be obliged to leave a great part of our stores, of which, it appears to me that we have a stock already sufficiently small for the length of the voyage before us."

The nose of the beaver is to the left, he seems to have a rather long snout and a flattened head. Many say that it doesn't look like a beaver at all. All that matters though, is that it was sufficiently unique that it was recognizable to the Shoshone.

We have been on the road for 23 days, have logged 3536 miles and are now at an elevation of 3536
feet.

Tomorrow we take on Lehmi Pass.