Lewis and Clark in Southwestern Montana
From Twin Bridges to Dillon and
on to Horse Prairie and Lemhi Pass

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In the late summer of 1805 Lewis and Clark made their way through southwestern Montana in search of a way across the mountains to the headwaters of the Columbia River. Their trek would take them from Three Forks up the Jefferson to Twin Bridges. From there they made their way up the Beaverhead River to present day Dillon and then further to Horse Prairie, at the west end of which is Lemhi Pass, which leads over the continental divide into Idaho and the Columbia drainage. Captains Lewis and Clark were worried. They needed to find the Shoshones, with their horses and guides in time to cross the Rockies before winter set in. On August 8, 1805 Lewis writes in his journal: "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 resemblance of it's figure to the head of that animal. she assures us that we shall either find her people on this river or on the river immediately west of it's source..." The beaverhead rock, which is about 15 miles north of what is now Dillon, told Sacagawea that they were near the pass her people used to cross the Great Divide. Near here three streams converge to form present-day Jefferson River. Lewis and Clark named the southeast fork the Philanthropy (now the Ruby River), the middle fork would retain Jefferson (now the Beaverhead River), and the west fork the Wisdom (now the Big Hole River). These river systems provide the drainage system for a good portion of southwestern Montana. As a matter of note, some people that Sacagawea was mistaken and that misspoke, that a rocky promontory opposite Rattlesnake Cliffs is the one she was really looking for. Admittedly, the resemblance of point of   rocks north of Dillon is hard to recognize as one drives by at highway speeds. However, it is unlikely that Sacagawea was wrong in her identification. Clark's bearings, taken on August 13, 1805, positively identify beaverhead rock as being a few miles south of Twin Bridges. Other mountain men and pioneers have placed the well known landmark near the mouth of the Ruby River. Lewis and two of his men made first contact with a Shoshone on August 11, 1805, near what is now Dillon, Montana. The man was inadvertently frightened away. Lewis continued up the Beaverhead River, and on August 10, 1805 reached the junction of today's Horse Prairie Creek and Red Rock River, which form the Beaverhead, and turned west up Horse Prairie Valley (south of Dillon about 20 miles) beneath what is now Clark Canyon Reservoir. Proceeding west, Lewis crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi pass and met the Shoshone Indians on August 13, 1805. He persuaded the Shoshones to return with him to the forks of Horse Prairie Creek and the Red Rock River to await Clark's arrival. The meeting place was to become known as Camp Fortunate. In the picture to the right the forks of the streams lie to the left of the island in Clark Canyon Reservoir and to the island's right would be the site of the small town of Armstead, which was inundated in the mid 60's with the building of Clark Canyon Dam.   Meanwhile, on August 13, Captain Clark climbed the high bluff that would bear his name to look out over the Beaverhead Valley. Unknown to Clark, Lewis was working to establish a meeting at Camp Fortunate. Through much of the expedition, Lewis was the point man, with Clark bringing up the rear Finally on August 17, 1805, Clark's, much to the relief of Lewis, party entered the camp near future Clark Canyon Reservoir. Here Sacagawea recognized the chief, Cameahwait, as her brother. They camped with the Shoshones until August 24th. Through Sacagawea, Captains Lewis and Clark were able to negotiate for the necessary horses to continue their trip over the mountains to the Columbia drainage. Prior to leaving, they cached canoes and supplies. In the July of 1806 Clark, who explored the Big Hole Valley on the return trip east, emptied the cache. For more information on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, visit the Beaverhead Chamber or Commerce and the Beaverhead County Museum. Top   Marc Sanders, Broker Print Copyright © 2000-2006 by West Source Ltd, Realtors® Photo Copyright © 2000-2006 by West Source Ltd, Realtors® Your Real Estate Source in Southwestern Montana Dillon, Montana