We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
This photo is looking north from the Lewis and Clark Overlook near Tiber Dam. The view is much like Captain Meriwether Lewis saw (without the gravel road) in June, 1805 when he named the Hills "the broken Mountains." Lewis called Gold or Middle Butte (arrow) "tower Mountain" for its conical shape. Also visible from the Overlook on a clear day are the Bear Paws, the Highwoods, some of the Belts, Square Butte, part of the Rocky Mountain Front and the Marias River below.
One thing that has remained the same over time at the Lewis and Clark Overlook near Tiber Dam is prickly pear, shown here. When Captain Lewis and his men made their first trip up the Marias River he noted, "travel was miserable...great abundance of prickly pear and slippery ground." To avoid the slippery cliffs and the prickly pear, the Corps members often walked in chest deep water in the river.
The Lewis and Clark Overlook at Tiber Dam was dedicated in June, 2005 as part of the bicentennial celebration of the Corps of Discovery's famous expedition. This gazebo is at or near a location where Meriwether Lewis first viewed the Sweet Grass Hills which he named "the broken Mountains." The Overlook is 15 miles south of US Highway 2 at the end of South Tiber Road.
Column No. 22
Columnist's note: The Corps of Discovery never reached the Sweet Grass Hills. But Captain Meriwether Lewis explored much of the Marias River in southern Liberty County and recorded observations about the Sweet Grass Hills. During the expedition's westward trip in 1805 and the return trip in 1806, Captain Lewis' explorations along the river helped answer critical questions during the trip. Lewis himself named the river in June, 1805, in honor of a cousin, Maria Wood.
Understanding the source of the Marias River allowed the Corps to choose the correct river route at Decision Point (where the Marias flows in to the Missouri River near Loma) on the way west. On the trip home Lewis and a small cohort explored the Marias River again to establish the northern boundary of the Louisiana Purchase completed in 1803.
Studying Lewis and Clark's travels through Liberty County I came across a modern historical site called the Lewis and Clark Overlook, located just below the Tiber Dam. My wife and I made a trip to the Overlook. Standing where Lewis likely had considered his surroundings helped explain where the intrepid explorer came up with the name "broken Mountains," a descriptor for the Sweet Grass Hills I'd never heard until moving to Whitlash.
The Lewis and Clark Overlook at
Tiber Dam on Lake Elwell
The Overlook was dedicated on June 2, 2005, part of the celebration of the Corps of Discovery's bicentennial. The site was chosen, per the program for the dedication ceremony, "...because of its unique location, high visibility and the fact it is within a few yards if not on the exact travel route of Captain Meriwether Lewis and men on the morning of July 20, 1806 (during the Corps' return trip from the Pacific Ocean)." The Overlook was a project of the Marias Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, The Lewis and Clark North-Central Montana Bicentennial Commission, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation and Liberty County. The Overlook is on South Tiber Road 12 miles south of Hwy 2 (access the Tiber Road at the marker for Tiber Dam five miles west of Chester on U.S. Hwy 2).
The gazebo sits atop a promontory with a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. It's much as the landscape likely appeared when Lewis' party twice passed through the area. At the Overlook there are several interpretive signs that explain when the expedition passed the area and why they twice explored this section of the Marias River.
The day we visited, the Overlook was sunny bit a but hazy. Even with less than perfect viewing conditions we could see the Sweet Grass Hills, the Bear Paw Mountains, Square Butte, the Highwood Mountains, portions of the Belt Mountains, portions of the Rocky Mountain Front and the Marias River below. It is an awesome view, well worth the trip just to see the panorama. The Overlook is managed by the Bureau of Reclamation (call 759-5077 for detailed information).
From Decision Point (near Loma) to
Camp Disappointment (near Browning)
The Corps of Discovery arrived at Decision Point (a mile off US 87 west of Loma) on June 3, 1805-where the Marias and Missouri Rivers converge. Unsure which river branch to take, Lewis and Clark each took a group of men to go up the two rivers to determine which was the Missouri.
Lewis took a group up the Marias and it was then he first viewed the Sweet Grass Hills. He journaled on June 5, "...discovered a lofty single mountain which appeared to be at a great distance, perhaps 80 or more miles....from its conic figure I called it 'tower Mountain.'" A journal entry the next year noted, "...the broken Mountains so called from their ragged and irregular shape. There are three of them extending east to West almost unconnected. The center mountain terminates in a conic spire and is that which I have called tower Mountain." On the accompanying photograph of the Sweet Grass Hills, the arrow notes Gold or Middle Butte-Lewis' tower Mountain.'
The next day, about ten miles southeast of the Overlook, Lewis was convinced, "...this branch of the Missouri was not the way to continue." He also recorded very harsh traveling conditions noting "...a great abundance of prickly pear and slippery ground" that sometimes required walking in chest deep water in the river to avoid the walking hazards.
In July of 1806, roughly three months after the Corps left the Pacific Coast to return home, the two captains decided to split the group. Lewis took a shortcut to the Great Falls and then headed north along the Marias.
Lewis' main goal was to determine if the watershed of the Marias extended north of the 49th parallel, a question of great interest to then President Thomas Jefferson. Lewis was also looking for an easy portage that would allow the western Canada fur trade to access the Missouri River. A short time into the second trip up the Marias Lewis sighted the broken Mountains again.
July 22-26, 1806, Lewis' group camped on the south bank of Cut Bank Creek, 12 miles east of the current town of Browning. This was the northernmost campsite of the Corps. The journal notes say the weather was overcast so no celestial measurements could be taken to establish an exact location but it was understood the Marias watershed did not extend as far north as was hoped. On leaving the campsite Lewis referred to it as "Camp Disappointment."
The National Park Service notes the actual site of Camp Disappointment is on privately owned land within the Blackfeet Reservation. A monument erected by the Great Northern Railroad in 1925 is accessible about 18 miles west of Cut Bank (where Meriwether Road goes north) on US Highway 2. The historical marker is about four miles south of the actual campsite.
A visit to one or more of these local sites gives a new appreciation of the expedition that helped us understand so much of the western interior of our country. And as a new resident to the area, it was interesting to learn about the naming of the 'broken Mountains.'
