Sacajawea Statue in Livingston, Montana
Sacajawea & Pomp
"At the Yellowstone"

Having reached the west coast, the Lewis and Clark expedition was heading east towards home and exploring the Yellowstone River on the way. Near Lolo they split up, with Clark heading up the Yellowstone Valley and Lewis down the Missouri. They would reunite at the convergence of the two rivers. This was no pleasure trip though; they were in a hurry. Short on supplies with cold weather coming soon, they were moving quickly. On July 15, they left their camp just outside of Bozeman and pushed through Park County to reach their next site just beyond the Shields River in one day.

Although they were in a hurry, they took a three-hour break to rest and prepare a meal. Some historians believe this occurred somewhere near the spot where I-90 crosses the Yellowstone.

Clark was a true explorer, scientist and great map-maker. As a result, there exist detailed records of his travels, which enables us to reproduce accurately his trip through Park County and the share it with visitors to this area.

Below are the images of the interpretive signs at are at each point of the driving tour. You can get print material about this driving tour from the Livingston Chamber of Commerce.

View local map at the following link: Corps of Discovery

   
The Corps traveled East on a buffalo trail that indigenous tribes used as a hunting route.
Near here, Clark connected with Billman Creek.
Clark and his party followed the Yellowstone for a total of 19 days. This point in the river was "The Big Bend" by the Native Americans because it changes to flow East.
   
It was near here that Clark and his team stopped for three hours. They ate and rested the horses before pushing on.
Sacajawea, a Shoshoni teenager, was the wife of a French interpreter hired by the Corps. She gave birth to her son and together they traveled to the Pacific and back.
Clark looked for large cottonwoods trees for canoes but could not find them here. the team stayed on horseback through Park County.
         
From this spot, Clark and his group could see the Yellowstone, Absarokas and Gallatins.
The wildlife that Clark saw on his journey can still be seen in this area, including elk, antelope and geese.
Clark led his party down the river in this area in their final push towards their campsite.
         
Clark recorded many species of flora, some of which, like hemp dogbane and locoweed, can be seen here.
The Shields River was named by Clark after a member of his team, Private John Shields.
Not far from here, the group spent their first night in the Yellowstone Valley.
         

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