We really liked the campground and the area around Missoula. We spent most of the Fourth of July weekend enjoying our pine-scented site. On Sunday we went to Travelers’ Rest. This state park is the one scientifically identified site of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Other locations of the explorers’ journey are basically speculations based on journals. At this site, archaeologists found real proof that Lewis and Clark stopped at this place on their way west and again on their way back east. They unearthed fire-cracked rocks from campfire kitchens, a camp that was set up according to exact military specs, a pewter button and a blue trading bead. They also found traces of mercury in the latrine area which were attributed to Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills which Meriwether Lewis gave to some of the men in the party as purgatives.
West Fork Lolo Creek
Lewis and Clark Camp Site
West Fork Lolo Creek
We happened to have visited on the 210th year anniversary of the groups’ final day at the site. We read all the information in the museum and then walked around the trail through the campsite area. We met and talked to Lewis and Clark enthusiasts who shared their extensive knowledge of this part of the captains’ journey. Travelers’ Rest was a place where people stopped in their travels for thousands of years. It is located at the eastern end of the Lolo Trail in an area the Bitterroot Salish refer to as No Salmon. There are, however, lots of trout in the Bitterroot River and plenty of native roots and other food to sustain travelers on their way. It was a good place to dry game meat and gather their resources to survive a long winter in the Rocky Mountains. If you are anywhere near this amazing place, take time to stop and relive the story that took place here.
Today the trip from Missoula to Columbia Falls was just beautiful. We are on our way to Glacier National Park and the most popular attraction there is the trip up Going To The Sun Road. We are eagerly anticipating driving up it!
We drove about 120 miles today on Route 93 – most of the time on the Flathead Indian Reservation. I can’t help but look upwards in Big Sky Country. So today the clouds started out gray and dramatic but then the sun came out and the bright sky lit up the mountains. Along the way there were signs in both the Native American Salish language and English. Some of the really interesting and obviously descriptive names were: Ravali – The Area of Large Diameter Aspen Trees, Pablo – Forest Tapering to a Point, and Polson – Tipi Poles Above the Water.
Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake
Route 93 Flathead Reservation
Dramatic Sky
National Bison Range
The Mission Mountain Range
Wildlife Crossing Bridge
Huckleberries are big here and you can get “Huck Pie on the Fly” in the Huckleberry Patch store in Arlee. You can also indulge in huckleberry milkshakes and bison burgers there. In Polson there is the Miracle of America Museum. I haven’t gotten around yet to looking up what the miracle is so if you are curious you might want to investigate that. There is also a museum in Ninepipes and I’m curious about the origin of that name too.
We drove for almost an hour along the banks of the very large Flathead Lake. The Rugged Mission Mountains in the background, the lovely turquoise water, pine trees and charming little towns all made for some great photo opportunities (although the quality isn’t great since I took them as we were rolling down the road).
One photo I didn’t get was actual bison on the National Bison Range outside of the St. Ignatius Mission. The rolling plain was grass-covered and the area was huge. I think the bison may have been camera-shy but they have the perfect place to live in peace and comfort. In nearby Ronan, I saw a sign declaring “This is God’s county.” I found myself thinking that the bison herd would agree.
The geological history of this area is fascinating. The Mission Mountains, which moved from the west and then wound up east of Flathead Lake, were carved by glaciers. The lake is part of a 900-mile furrow that extends from the Yukon in Canada to St. Ignatius. Thinking about mountains moving and ancient glaciers making gigantic trenches is only enhanced by how pretty they look now.
The nickname for Montana is the Treasure State and I hope my photos show you why I think there are treasures everywhere you look in this beautiful part of the country.