Going East…..to West-7

Yellowstone National Park and Lewis –Clark Expedition

Taken from National Geographic

www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/montana/

You may recall that during their return voyage Lewis and Clark had decided to follow a separate route after reaching the Three Forks. Lewis, with some men, would take a northern route; follow the Nez Perce route to the Great Falls of Missouri and explore the Marias River (upstream) further North before falling back to the Missouri River. He would follow the Missouri River downstream before reaching its junction with Yellowstone River where he hoped to reunite with Clark coming up from his southern route. Clark and the remaining men would take a southern route; cross the Continental Divide between the Missouri and the Yellowstone River. (The party had camped 3 miles east of what is now Bozeman). They would build canoes after reaching the Yellowstone River and would go along the river, downstream, till its junction with the Missouri.

It may be seen that Yellowstone River originates in Wyoming State but runs its longer course in Montana. It flows northward through Yellowstone National Park, feeding and draining the Yellowstone Lake, then dropping over the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls at the head of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. After passing through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone, downstream of the Grand Canyon, the river flows northward into Montana. Clark’s journey was through the Montana section of the Yellowstone River but this expedition has made an indirect contribution to the development of Yellowstone National Park.

As Lewis and Clark expedition was on the final leg of their voyage, going downstream in Missouri, they met two fur trappers --Joseph Dickson of Illinois and Forest Hancock of Missouri—who were coming upstream. They had begun their journey in August 1804, had run into problems with Indians but had nevertheless continued their journey towards the Yellowstone River. Lewis, who was eager to help establish an American presence in Upper Louisiana, gave them information about the area from which the expedition was returning and the two-some was proceeding to. He provided them with some sketch maps, and briefed them about places where they could find beaver in abundance. Dickson and Hancock decided to postpone their trip to the Yellowstone and spend more time with the Expedition.

Probably, the duo had returned so that they could get an experienced hand from the Corps of Discovery to join them in their Yellowstone venture. They had ascertained from Private John Colter that he was willing to join them before asking the captains for their approval. Colter’s enlistment was to expire two months later but Lewis did not want others to follow Colter without completing their terms of engagement; fortunately everyone else wanted to return home and Colter was allowed to go with the trappers. As Stephen E. Ambrose describes in his ‘Undaunted Courage’, “Colter turned back upstream, back to the wilderness, back to the mountains, on his way into the history books as America’s first mountain man and the discoverer of Yellowstone National Park.”

Three Forks and Bozeman had featured in the route followed by the Expedition. Both these places are small towns now and are located to the North of the Yellowstone National Park but in close vicinity. See pictures below. Three Forks is immediately below.

Central Main Street in Three Forks town -Montana

www.city-data.com/city/Three-Forks-Montana.html

Main Street in Bozeman-Montana

www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc30472.php