July 15-16
2013
Because I spent the first 22 years of my life near the confluence of two of Americas great rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi, I decided during my journeys across these United States that I would visit the headwaters of both rivers. Last year I visited Itasca SP in Minnesota where a small stream eventually becomes the mighty Mississippi. You can check back to August of 2012 in the blog for that story.
Yesterday I visited the Missouri River Headwaters SP in Montana.
http://stateparks.mt.gov/missouri-headwaters/
The Headwaters state park marks where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers come together to form the Missouri River. The area surrounding this confluence of rivers is rich in history.
The Native Americans came to hunt bison, trade goods, camp by the river, fish for trout, and pick berries. The rivers, plants, rocks and wildlife provided the necessities of life: food, medicine, tools, clothing, and shelter.
On July 25th 1805 Captain Clark became the first recorded non-Indian to reach this area. The history books are full of the adventures of Lewis and Clark and all those who came behind them. Needless to say the young United States of America was about to make a great expansion and the Native People would pay an enormous price.
It’s hard to share this adventure because most of it was a very personal and emotional experience. I’ve included a few images of the information signs scattered about the park and of course I found a few wild critters that were willing to pose for my camera.
Because I spent the first 22 years of my life near the confluence of two of Americas great rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi, I decided during my journeys across these United States that I would visit the headwaters of both rivers. Last year I visited Itasca SP in Minnesota where a small stream eventually becomes the mighty Mississippi. You can check back to August of 2012 in the blog for that story.
Yesterday I visited the Missouri River Headwaters SP in Montana.
http://stateparks.mt.gov/missouri-headwaters/
The Headwaters state park marks where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers come together to form the Missouri River. The area surrounding this confluence of rivers is rich in history.
The Native Americans came to hunt bison, trade goods, camp by the river, fish for trout, and pick berries. The rivers, plants, rocks and wildlife provided the necessities of life: food, medicine, tools, clothing, and shelter.
On July 25th 1805 Captain Clark became the first recorded non-Indian to reach this area. The history books are full of the adventures of Lewis and Clark and all those who came behind them. Needless to say the young United States of America was about to make a great expansion and the Native People would pay an enormous price.
It’s hard to share this adventure because most of it was a very personal and emotional experience. I’ve included a few images of the information signs scattered about the park and of course I found a few wild critters that were willing to pose for my camera.
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| Welcome to the park |
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| The confluence of the Jefferson and Madison Rivers. The Gallatin comes in about a mile downstream. |
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| How the river got its name. I did not know this. Shame on me. |
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| If you click on the image it should enlarge on your screen. |
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| The beginning of the end of a way of life |
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| Teepee Frame |
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| Check out the next photo |
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| As I stood there I could almost hear the music and the stomping of boots on the hardwood floors. |
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| Went into the town of Three Forks and found this sign. Hey Sarah, is that Pierre Menard any relation? |
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| Mountain or Nuttell's Cottontail - a regular visitor to my campsite |
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| Yellow Warbler - another regular visitor to my campsite, but he wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a good shot |
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| Cedar Waxwing taking flight |
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| Cedar Waxwings down by the river |
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| The Waxwings were everywhere |
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