Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-10-22

Of the area imm ediately
Tower rock In left foreground. New
ately in the gap which the Missouri
makes on its passage from the noun
tains. 1t is isolated from the neigh
boring mountains by q handsome little
plain which surrounds its base IN three
sides and the Missouri washes its base
on the other, leaving it on the larboard
as it descends. This rock, / called the
tower. 1t may be assembled with diff
! Guilty nearly to its summit, and from
it there is a most pleasing view Of the
country we are nov about to leave.
From it I saw this evening immense
herds of buffalo In the plains below.
Near this place we killed a fat elk on
which we both dined and supped. The
mosquitoes are extremely troublesome
this evening -
To persons we'll acquainted with the
area, it is obvious that Captain Lewis
and his small party passed up the river
through the valley between Ulm and
below Cascade. The rapids he described
are below Hardy and are now known
as Half breed rapids.
The rock termed by Lewis as the
tower is commonly known as Tower
rock just south Of Hardy, neal the
northern terminus of the Missouri
river canyon projects second section.
Going toward the rock from Great
Falls, the new highway passes to the
right Of it and through "the handsome
little plain commented upon by Lewis.
The tracks of the Great Northern rail-
road pass to the left of the rock.
The same day, July 16, Captain Clark
wrote about discovery of some 40 In
dian lodges that seemed to have been
deserted for 10 or IL days. Clark as
Sumed the camps were those of the
Snake Indians. He also described the
small island about five miles below
Half-breed rapids.
Captain Lewis, on July II, related
facts connected with the making of OBJ
servations from Tower rock and OF
finding q large pine tree situated on
a small island at the head of these
rapids" 1t was called Pine island.
The nominal head of the expedition
described passage through the rapids
and the first section of the canyon
THE river cliffs" he wrote, were SO
steep and frequently projecting into the
river with their perpendicular points in
such manner that we could not pass
them by land. We were therefore COM
PEELED to pass and repass the river very
frequently in the course of the evening.
The bottoms are narrow. The river also
narrow, deep and but little current"
The journal entry by Captain Lewis
continues to the effect that little tim
Der was found on the river and that
'"aspen constitutes a part of that little. y
Here the expedition saw mountain
rams OF big-horned animals. and nc
other game whatever" Six miles above
the, expedition struck Mid canyon and
camped opposite a very high cliff. =
The cliff is Eagle rock, one of the most
pretentious Of the peaks in the Belt
range.
Clark and Lewis both commented fire.
quently and at length on mosquitoes
Even this feature Of the first explora-
ton is not changed at certain periods
Of the year, according to men employed
on construction Of the highway.
July 10, 1905, Captain Lewis wrote
Of departure from the Eagle rock en-
campment and of seeing a herd of
mountain sheep on the Immensely
high and nearly perpendicular cliff OPP
posite to us On the face of this cliff,
they walked about and bounded from
rock to rock with apparent u%nconcern,
where it appeared to me that no quad
ruped could have stood, and from which
had they made one false step they
would surely drop to eternity, for they
must have been precipitated at least
500 feet"
Two and one-half miles further on
the starboard side, about 80 yards wide,
being nearly as wide as the Missouri
at that place" Lewis discovered the
river, which he named Dearborn for
the then secretary Of war, which was
extremely transparent and the bed was
formed of small, smooth stones. The
river, according to Lewis, was hand
some, bold and clear"
Later little Prickly Pear creek was
discovered and named Ordway creek
by the expedition.
To the person making the trip from
Great Falls places enumerated in the
journal may be seen with ease. Tower
rock is about 1862 miles from Great
Falls. Eagle rock about ass miles from
the Electric City and the Dearborn
river enters the Missouri about 47.9
miles from Great Falls.
The Big Belt mountains extend to the
left of the road, or on the east and
south sides of the river. Mountains on
the opposite side are a continuation OF
the Big Belts.
About 49.8 miles from Great Falls
the motorist crosses Stickney creek
Several miles up the cvanyon of this
creek are found caves with Indian heir
oglyphics. The heiroglyphics cannot. bt
deciphered by Snake, Blackfeet or Flat.
head Indians. Numerous tribes passed
through the canyon, Blackfeet coming