The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-17
LEWIS AND CLARKE'S PASS.



Ds. Elliott Couss Locates II DcnnissIy
nad Tells AbOat II.
To Ths independent,
In undertaking 10 nnd this pass IN the
Continental divide, ! vas sur urpSissd 10 $40
how little is really known about II, even by
persons living In tho Vicinity. and II will
doubtloss interest your readers 10 lean
somsthins accurately sbout the ,laos whore
Capt Lewis. with tsa Of his men, Q osssd
Elsokfoos rive 70 She Middle Fork OF
Deesho rive in July. 1906.
On making inquiries at Casosde on the
M's"ouri. my point Of dspa the from the
Montana Central railroad, no one could
tsl' mo anything definitely about this pass.
thor south. Al last learned Of a certain
lass called "PondeSay," I. .. Pend Oroiile,
which. from ths description. was sstis-
Ned sa...s 20: % .hs as one I,.. sought. -. !
Of Cascade. und took to pat me on an old
TO Lewis and Olarks's Pass, ~ II was the
one bs wb,ch Capt. Lewis oams down from
| tho In0u atains. We drove from C8.onde 10
81. Peters mission. thsnos by Fiat creek to
Dearborn crossing, AMI continued up the
Dsarbo n to tie juncs on Of its south fsrk.
clitts which approach within 100 yards OF
each other, making remarkable forma-
ton call tho Dearborn Gates. We held
mp road which strikes tho Middle fork of
the Dearborn At q large sheep anch; crossed
this 70 1, and continued BY Q eek onlled
ranch on II. the last house NJ the foot Of
the mountains, within q mi Of the Indian
trail was in ss Toh Of. We stopped for
the night at tho house Of Franklin Black
stone. next below HardRHovs's. Estimated
distance f.otn CaGcsds. forty -thrae miles.
eight mics from the summit Of tho pass.
Next morning we soon fell into tho old
Indian trail. Al . point where IL comes
south from over . yemarkabl, fat. snooth-
edged bench. The all is perfectly plain.
consisting in most plases of several parallel
deep RUS; 1. is very old. ~ evidenced By
the fact that large trees are now growing In
some of the rats. A wagon can be got slona
II with but little difficulty. 1t runs siding
| along the foot OF the mountains, in . long
GORGE in the bottom " which 10 q. cen
creek. sizabls tributary OF the middle
crossed several dry Rulcnes. and sne fol-
lowing creeks which mako into Green
Q, eek ON the riahs hand: !, two heads Of
Bed Hook creek; q Smiths creek: 8, y creek
| call Buroh's. from Mr.. John Henry
Ba oh. who kindly pllotsd - up TO the
divide. The trail then strikes Green @ COX
itself. crosses - near . grove OF qusking
ash trees. and keeps NJ 10 the junction
of its two last forks. Just in the crotch
between these 10 q long smooth hog back;
the trail goes up this Tor Pc haps thi OF
mile to the foot Of the pass. Hero We LET'S
the wagon, won't ny sharp pitch Of few
hundred yards, and stood on the crest Of
tho continental divide. 1t Lewis and Clsrke's
! ass. The weather was cold. the wind
| Blowing gale. anu the pass as we'll Rs the
surrounding mountain tops We covered
with snow. in some laces ssve ii feet deep.
| Though the sky was cleNr. the wind blsw
snow ny iu whlrling clouds, which sifted
through the drifts for the last few yards Of
our way.
| Tho pass may be described "a . gap
where the Q 10 q comparatively low ridge.
| EN- braced between the two heads OF Green
creek, coming down . ravius on either
hand. These two heads of Green creek,
which have now been named. l call North
Pass and Sooth Pass creek. respectively.
1t would not be very difficult to saake the
divide up either of thsn. and in fact sors
OF road goes mp the South one; but 1t is
better to keep the Indian trail up the hog
back to ths foot of the last sharp pitch
The rise ON the Pacific side Of the DIVIDE il
much more gradual and easy than on this
side; bat with little work hore and there
the 1"ad could be made fairly good one
for 10 ,ded wagons up the Atlantic side.
Thus L. wis and C!arke's pass 10 seen to
Blaokfoot river with the heads OF Green
creek. and nos with any heads of ths Mid
die Fork itself OF Denrborn's river. The
pass VII ch makes the latter oonneotion is
Cadotte's considerably further south. fhs
approach to Lewis and Clarke's pass 10 not
the mountains considerably north of ii.
and then turn south 10 go up tho gorge in
which are Green creek and its tributaries,
as above described. You get into this gorge
by striking for two smooth 'oundish knobs
which overlook Hardcrovs's and Bluek-
sunrise buttos. For a long distance before
reaching the mountains tue most charao-
teris,ic and reliable landma' X Is a sharp
oonical elevation, standing out FROM the
main range and visible for twenty or thirty
mics from tho east and southsast. This i.
sun rive. Capt. Lewis mentions il BY
the name of hi.hsquaw mountain, in
Stevens's report 1t is called Heart noun
tain; 1t Is now known AZ Havstaok butte.
On coming out of the mountains Capt.
Lew hs!I to the Indian trail past this
butte. on to Sun river rast the PRESENT site
Of Augusta, AND along tie south bank of
Sun river to the White Bear isiauds, just
above Grent Falls.
The round trip from Cascade TO tho sum
NIT OF Lewis and Clarke pass and back was
easily made with tke =, rug wagon In two
and = half days. Isurpose the distance BY
the way We took TO BE-. roundly. fifty miles;
l understand the pass could be made in less
time by leaving the rail, ond Al " of G eek.
| In Little Prickly Pear canyon.
No mar that I have ssen gives Green
creek and its tributaries in any correct de-
| tail. Tho only map Of Lewis and Clarke
county have seen anslioses the respective
!! positions of Cadotte's and Of Lewis and
| Clarks's pass, making the former the
northern and ths latte, the southern one.
which is exactly wong. Gov. Stevens re-
port, published in 1860. describes Lewis
and G arke's pass correctly. and Qivss a
eolorsd plate OF the approach 10 1t, on
which tho positions Of this pass. OF Ca
dot.e's, and of Shishequaw. Heart. or Hay
stack butte are shown exactly. l hope the
present. a ticle will do away with the exist
ing misinfo nation 0 lack of information
concerning Lewis and Clsrke's pass, and
nx the name a. we'll ~ the place OF this
historic locality. ELLIOTT CoUKA
Helena, Dot. 16. 1888
| scottish Rite MRsons
TT. Louis. Dot. 16-The supreme oouuoil
|