Lehmi Pass

LEWIS August 10, 1805  "We arrived in a handsome open and level vally where the river divided itself nearly into two equal branches, here I halted and examined those streams and readily discovered from their size that it would be vain to attempt the navigation of either any further. here also the road forked one leading up the vally of each of these streams. I therefore sent Drewer on one and Sheilds on the other to examine these roads for a short distance and to return and compare their information with respect to the size and apparent plainness of the roads as I was now determined to pursue that which appeared to have been the most traveled this spring. in the mean time I wrote a note to Cap. Clark informing him of the occurrences which had taken place. recommending it to him to halt at this place until my return and informing him of the rout I had taken..."

 They named the place Camp Fortunate, and it is inundated by the reservoir of Clark Canon Dam. Walking up Horse Prarie Creek the next day, he spotted the first Indian they had seen since leaving Fort Mandan. The lone Shoshone on horseback disappeared into the mountains. The next day Lewis discovered ;
"the most distant fountain of the mighty Missouri in search of which we have spent many toilsome days and restless nights, Thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for many years."

That same day Lewis pushed on and crossed the continental divide at what we now know as Lehmi Pass.
Lewis was amazed and disillusioned by what he beheld.

"after refreshing ourselves we proceeded on the top of the dividing ridge from which I discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered by snow."

This is the vista that so troubled Lewis











On August 13, they did meet with a number of Indians an Lewis unfurled an American flag, the first to be raised west of the divide.

Monument to the first flag raising.







Lewis eventually persueded the Indians to accompany him back to Camp Fortunate to meet with Captain Clark and the others. It was then that Sacajawea recognized the Chief as her brother, Cameahwait, and joyously greeted him. The deal was soon struck, and Lewis was able to buy enough horses to enable the Corps to continue their voyage.

The Corps cached their canoes and supplies for the return trip here at the this most momentous camp, Camp Fortunate, and proceeded on, on horseback.

The books we have relied on for a lot of advice on this trip suggested we call the Forest Service office in Dillon for advice before crossing the pass. We called them on the day before, and got no answer, called again the morning we headed for the pass and left a message to have them call us about the advisability of attempting Lehmi Pass in a Prius.

We proceeded on with no answer from the Forest Service.
We reached the summit (7367 feet) and visited a monument to Sacajawea where there is a rivulet flowing from a spring that Lewis identified as the source of the Missouri, and we were supposed to get a picture of us standing astride it. We forgot to visit the spring! Oh well, next time.🙂

Our descent on a road less traveled.

We saw a sage grouse.

And some wild flowers

And a cow,

 And some more wildflowers,

And a whole field of wild flowers,

And we proceeded on...that away










When we got down from the pass there was a message from the Forest Service saying that there was no problem taking a Prius up the pass from the Montana side, but that they would strongly advise we not attempt to make the descent on the Idaho side in a Prius. They tried to convince us that crossing Lehmi Pass in a Prius was no bed of roses. They were right, it was a bed of wildflowers.

When we got down, that Prius was covered in dust, so we made our way to the town of Salmon, Utah, found and reserved a room at the Sacajawea Inn. We noticed a manual car wash going through town, so we gave it a try. The sprayer was broken off, but were able to dribble some water on the car, and wash it off with the brush, and rinse with the dribble. The owner showed up and apologized and offered to refund the cost, ($1.50 twice, or $3.00) We said no it was all right. When we got to the Motel and checked in we noticed three full service car washes across the street.

 Oh well.












Down the Salmon River through the Bitterroot valley tomorrow.

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.

Gates of the Montains

Our next destination is Helena, but on the way we stop off for a two hour boat trip at Gates of the Mountains. We found this route to be one of the prettiest of our travels. The road stays close to the river as it meanders through verdant landscapes. The Corps must have found the sights as rewarding, but they soon entered a segment of high cliffs on either side of the river. No cordelling with the long tow rope or using the push poles. The river was deep right up to the rock walls, and they offered no opportunity to get out and walk.

LEWIS July 19 1805 "this evening we entered much the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. these lifts rise from the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the hight of 1200 feet. every object here wears a dark and gloomy aspect, the towering and projecting rocks in many places seem ready to tumble on us. the river appears to have forced it's way through this immence body of solid rock for the distance of 5 3/4 miles and where it makes it's exit below has thrown on either side vast collumns of rocks mountains high, the river appears to have woarn a passage just the width of it's channel or 150 yds. it is deep from side to side nor is ther in the 1st 3 miles of this distance a spot except one of a few yards in extent on which a man could rest the soal of his foot....from the singular appearance of this place I called it the Gates of the rocky mountains."

On our boat trip we saw more examples of interesting rock formations

One of which is called "The Monster of the River"

We saw prehistoric pictographs

And Wildlife






But the most interesting is the change of view in the next two photographs which show how the mountains seem to form a cul-de-sac, and change to show the gate opening.

 

We did enjoy the day, although is was the second day we had spent on the river at above 100 degree temperatures.

As we left the river trip we had to get a shot of the "Sleeping Giant"
"

On the way  to Helena we climbed a small mountain behind the town where we were treated to a marvelous view,

and, of course, more wild flowers;

Our side trip took us up considerably

When we got to Helena we decided to take a trolley ride around the city which started at the Montana Historical Society. Lo and behold, Gail found something she has been dying to see... a powow;

And she had to play the drum with them

Great Falls

On June 2, 1805 The Corps camped opposite the mouth of a substantial river. The Mandans had not mentioned a substantial tributary before reaching the Falls. On June 3, the journal reads;

LEWIS June 3, 1805 "An interesting question was now to be determined; which of these rivers was the Missouri, or that river which the Minnetares call Amahte Arz Zha or Missouri, and which they had discribed to us as approaching very near to the Columbia river. to mistake the stream at this period of the season, two months of the traveling season having now elapsed and to ascend such stream to the rocky Mountains or or perhaps much further before we could inform ourselves whether it did approach the Columbia or not, and then be obliged to return and take the other stream would not only loose us the whole of this season but would probably so dishearten the party that it might defeat the expedition altogether."

The captains dispatched parties up both rivers to map them and determine their characteristics, and pondered much on the question. Lewis took the right hand fork. He came to a conclusion on the 8th

LEWIS June 8,1805 "The whole of my party to a man except myself were fully peswaided that this river was the Missouri, but being fully of opinion that it was neither the main stream or that which it would be advisable for us to take, I determined to give it a name and in honour of Miss Maria W..d. called it Maria's River. it is true that the hue of the waters of this turbulent and troubled stream but illy comport with the pure celestial virtues and amiable qualifications of that lovely fair one; but on the other hand it is a noble river; one destined to become in my opinion an object of great contention between the two great powers of America and Great Britain with rispet to the adjustment of the North westwardly boundary of the former...."

LEWIS June 9, 1805 "....today we examined our maps, and compared the information derived as well from them as from the Indians and fully settled in our minds the propryety of adopting the South fork for the Missouri.....Those ideas as they occurred to me I indevoured to impress on the minds of the party all of whom except Capt. C being still firm in the beleif that the N. Fork was the Missouri and that which we ought to take; they said very cheerfully that they were ready to follow us any wher we thought proper to direct but that they still thought that the other was the river...

And so they proceeded on. They were eagerly anticipating the falls, as this would prove their contention that they were still on the Missouri. At one point Lewis decided to scout ahead of the boats;

LEWIS June 13, 1805 "I had proceded on...about two miles...whin my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water....a roaring too tremendious to be mistakenfor any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri...."

He made camp and sent a message to Clark with the good news.

In the morning decided to continue his walk up the river.

The good news was that they had reached the great falls of the Missouri. The bad news was that it was not one cataract, but five significant waterfalls. He had one more adventure before the day was over. He shot a buffalo, and was waiting for it to expire, not bother to reload his rifle Before long he noticed a Grizzly bear 200 paces from him and approaching menacingly. With his unloaded rifle useless, he made a dash for the river, turned and faced the charging animal with rifle in one hand and his espontoon in the other...helpless. To his astonishment the bear stopped at the water's edge, whirled around and retreated rapidly out of sight. He never knew why.

Later on Clark proceeded up the river and discovered the giant spring.

CLARK June 18, 1805 "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 America Known, this water boils up from under th rocks near the edge of the river and falls imediately innto the river 8 feet and keeps its Colour for 1/2 a mile which is emencely Clear and of a bluish cast."

While in Great Falls, we took the opportunity to follow a self guided tour of the portage.

First we took a look at one of the falls that has been ruined by a hydroelectric dam.

We next proceeded to the take out point of the portage on Portage Creek, now Belt Creek

This is the incline they had to drag the canoes up

And these pictures are of a diorama in the interpretive center depicting that effort

This is the put in point 18 miles over land

Doc tried to get the scent of the grizzly that chased Clark into the river here.

The "Giant Spring"

And the shortest river America at 200 feet; the Roe

We passed this statue of our heroes on the way back to the motel.

Our next desination is Helena, Montana, with a stop for a boat tour of the "Gates of the Mountains"