Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery traveled more miles and set up more campsites in Montana than in any other state along the trail, traveling westward in 1805, and on separate routes eastward in 1806. The expedition charted the lands that became part of the United States as a result of the Louisiana Purchase.
           
          The return trip, Clark’s exploration of the Yellowstone River route, is one of the most exciting most picturesque portions of the journey.

          Lewis and the rest of the party had split from Captain William Clark’s party on July 3, 1806, south of present day Missoula, to further explore the Marias River area north of the Missouri River. Among Clark’s party of 23 people were interpreters, Toussaint Charbonneau, his Shoshoni wife Sacagawea (also commonly spelled Sacajawea and meaning “bird woman”), and their baby Jean Baptiste, ( whom Clark called Pomp). At the Three Forks, 10 of the 23 in Clark’s party turned north to rejoin Lewis. Thirteen explored the Yellowstone.
           
            The Lewis and Clark Journals chronicle exciting events in the Custer Country region, from the Park City – Laurel area to the Glendive region.

            Pompeys Pillar is one of the most famous sandstone buttes in the United States. It bears the only remaining physical evidence along the trail of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This is the butte in which Captain Clark carved his name. “Wm. Clark, July 25, 1806.”

            The “Clark on the Yellowstone” interpretive center at this historic national monument was dedicated during the National Clark on the Yellowstone Signature Event July 22, 2006.  To read more about this exciting history of Custer Country, order a Custer Country travel guide by clicking here.


Helpful Links      

• Pompeys Pillar National Mounument
• Pompeys Pillar Historical Association

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