Crossing the Continental Divide
I am now officially headed downriver toward the Pacific, and the biggest, most challenging (in terms of getting over them) mountains are behind me. I’m sure I enjoyed the mountain passes much more than my intrepid 1805 explorers did, but they finally managed to get over them as well. I had the luxury of paralleling their route by driving through the valley on a paved road carved out for that purpose, while the 1805 crew had to climb to the tops and travel along the ridges of the peaks because the canyon was too dangerous for people or horses with its gorges, cliffs and thick forests. In fact, until they put the paved road in, no public mode of transportation was able to use that route to get across - attempts to create a railroad line or a stagecoach road were unsuccessful.
Roadtripping in 1805
Leaving the Canoes Behind
After the arduous portage at Great Falls, Montana, the expedition continued down the Missouri river. By now they had enough information from traders and tribes to suspect that there was no waterway that would take them through the mountains across the continental divide, as President Jefferson had hoped. They reached the headwaters of the Missouri at present-day Three Forks, and from there began to take lesser rivers, knowing that eventually they would have no rivers to follow at all.
These are the headwaters of the Missouri, where the Jefferson and Madison rivers flow together and form the Missouri.
By reaching Three Forks, I can proudly say that I followed the entire length of the Missouri River, beginning to end! (or end to beginning, which is probably more accurate)
There was no way around the fact that Lewis and Clark were going to have to ditch the canoes and any gear they could do without and cross over the mountains on horseback, carrying all their necessary supplies. To get the horses they were going to need, it was essential that they make contact with the Shoshone tribe, who (according to most scholars) was the tribe Sacagawea was born into. She was around 10 when she left the Shoshones for the Hidatsa tribe, presumably having been kidnapped. By whom she was kidnapped, when it happened, and which tribe was her true family is less important at this point in the story than the fact that she knew the area of the country they were approaching, the people they were looking for, and the language they spoke. Lewis writes of his concern that they went many weeks without seeing any Indians at all. They knew they had to find the Shoshone tribe soon or they would have no ability to get themselves over the mountains that were getting ever larger in their sights.
As they floated down the Jefferson River after leaving the Missouri at Three Forks, they were headed toward present-day Dillon. Sacagawea, looking ahead on either side of the river, suddenly got very excited when she saw Beaverhead Rock. That location was one where her tribe frequently spent time, and it was also near that point that she had been taken away from her people by the Hidatsa.
Clark went on ahead with a few people to scout out the area and look for people. He did meet a group of Shoshones and was able to communicate well enough to disuade any fears that they were agressive. Over the next couple of days they exchanged gifts and spent time together while waiting for Lewis and the rest of the party to catch up. Lewis and Clark, who had not met any Shoshone up to that point and had no experience with the language, were depending on Sacagawea to help deliver their message of friendship (and power). As it turned out, the meeting with the tribe went easier than expected, primarily because when they reached Clark and the group of Shoshones, Sacagawea recognized one of the men as her brother whom she had not seen in many years. He was now one of the chiefs of that tribe, and after a tearful reunion they were able to get down to business and negotiate for the horses they needed. They also negotiated for a Shoshone Indian to guide and accompany them across the mountains, following known paths used for meetups and trading with tribes on the other side, such as the Salish and Nez Perce.
I don’t know if this rock looks like a beaverhead, but it is striking just the same, rising out of the prairie.
Getting Over the Mountains
Driving through the mountain passes is challenging for anyone, no matter what vehicle you are driving. My camper is a two-wheel drive 18 foot cargo van and powerful enough to take the 7-15% grades up and down the mountain ranges. That said, I made a conscious decision not to take Lemhi Pass, which takes you over the Beaverhead Mountains or Lolo Pass, which goes over the Bitterroot Mountains. According to the Lewis and Clark roadtripping guidebook, these two passes most closely approximate the exact paths followed by Lewis and Clark. Both are rough and tumble dirt roads, full of gullies and dips, very steep, and only one lane in some places with no shoulder. Should you meet someone coming from the opposite direction, it’s an unwelcome game of chicken to determine who gives up space to the other, and how they do it (apparently there are standard protocols on who is expected to back up, which could be some distance depending on the terrain). Instead, I decided to stay on paved roads that have at least two lanes, with occasional carve-outs in case you need to pull over to the side, which I do if I have someone tailing me who wants to go faster than I am comfortable with. The curvy paved roads give me all the thrill and beauty I need.
As I drove through the easier version of the two passes, which were steep and curvy and narrow in their own right, requiring me to use my lower gears frequently, I found it incredible that Lewis and Clark and their entire party made it through the mountains not once but twice, coming and going. It was exceedingly difficult for them, and Clark reported that in some places the grade was so steep that the horses stumbled or slipped and fell backward, occasionally rolling down the side of the mountain. Clark also writes of how hard it was to find footholds or handholds to climb the rocks and cliffs. Food and water basically ran out, they were buried in snow, and the morale of the men, which had been pretty good the entire journey, was at its lowest ebb. By the time they completed that part of the journey and reached the other side, they were exhausted and near starvation.
You can see the road I drove on, cut into the side of the mountain. Now imagine our 1805 heroes traveling with their horses and all their gear across the ridges above where the road is.
The Idaho Bitterroot range gave them the most trouble of all. Patrick Gass, one of the expedition members, described is as “the most terrible mountains I ever beheld.” Clark described the ordeal this way: the route went “thro; thickets in which we were obliged to Cut a road, over rockey hill Sides where our horses were in perpetual danger of Slipping to Ther certain distruction & up & Down Steep hills… with the greatest difficuelty risque &c. we made 7 1/2 miles.” (typically they made 15 to 20 miles or more per day) Two days later, he wrote: “We passed over emence hils and Some of the worst roade that ever horses passed our horses frequently fell.” Their Shoshone guide who supposedly knew the best trails to get over the mountains, sometimes wasn’t sure which way to go. There was a point at which the group crisscrossed the same area trying to find the best way over. Today this part of the crossing is called the Lost Trail Pass. (unrelated side note: when I was in a grocery store recently to get coffee, I couldn’t resist buying the “Lost Trail Blend” from a coffee roaster out of Spokane - pretty tasty!)
Eventually, with much trial and tribulation, sick with dysentery, physically and mentally exhausted, starving, they all made it to the plains on other side of the mountains, where they met the Nez Perce tribe, who would prove essential in helping them on their next leg of their journey to find the rivers that would get them to the Pacific.
Roadtripping in 2025
Camping with Critters
I suppose it was inevitable. I’ve had the van for three years. This story falls into the “oh, that’s what happens to other people, but not me” category. It was my turn I guess.
There I was, in my bed calmly checking my phone for emails before turning in. Sadie in her usual spot taking up the entire bottom half of my double size mattress, barely leaving room for my feet to stick out on the side (too cool for mosquitos these days, so bare feet sticking out are no longer a problem). From the corner of my eye I thought I noticed some kind of movement. I looked over towards the floor near the front seat. Nothing.
At night I keep the van pretty dark, with just a small lamp on the wall over my head. So everything else in the van was shadowy. Sadie was fast asleep. I resumed looking at my phone. It happened again. This time I turned my bedlamp (which is movable) to shine in the direction of the shadowy flutter, and that’s when I saw it. A small gray mouse was ambling across my floor, presumably in search of goodies, in no hurry whatsoever, climbing around the debris that I intended to tidy up in the morning - dog dish, leash, dirty clothes, etc.
UGGHHHHH!!!!!
I started hyperventilating and talking to Sadie, hoping she would have some advice for me. She barely roused her head, didn’t care what the fuss was about, and promptly went back to sleep. Apparently the critter didn’t give off any more odor inside the camper cabin than what she smells outside the camper all the time when we’re in the woods. She did not agree that there was any emergency and was not about to be put on mouse patrol.
After hemming and hawing from the relative safety of my bed, not knowing what to do in the moment, I turned to Facebook (where else in the late evening after dark when you are in the middle of nowhere and lucky enough to have a very weak cell signal?). After lamenting to my favorite Facebook women van camping group and getting some supportive comments as well as practical advice, I decided that there was nothing I could do that night. I was three miles from a town that - fortunately - had a hardware store, but I was going to have to wait til morning. I did not sleep well, and woke several times thinking that the mouse had climbed up to the bed and was crawling around my head. In retrospect I don’t think it was but that fact was irrelevant in the middle of the night.
The next morning I hightailed it to the hardware store and a nice young man took me to the “kill aisle” (his words) to show me all the poisons, traps, deterrents you could possibly imagine for any unwanted critter you could possibly imagine having to deal with. I picked out a live trap and two of the old-school snappy traps. He didn’t have the peppermint essential oil or the pellets that my Facebook friends recommended for deterrence but he assured me that Murdocks in Dillon would have that.
Murdocks is the kind of store where you can get virtually anything you might need - food, livestock feed, saddles and bridles, clothing, western boots and hats, tools, lumber, appliances, and any type of household item you can think of. I told my tale of woe to a nice clerk, who took me around the store to find the oil and pellets and spray bottle. Loaded, I left.
The next stop was to get gas, and the store there was similar to Murdochs but smaller and more like a big truck stop. I decided that I needed gloves and strong bleachy cleaner to get rid of all the mouse residue (i.e. pee) scent that might attract other mice. So I left there loaded with the final supplies and made my way to my campsite.
I was blessed with mild, sunny weather. The campground was lovely and perfect for what I needed to do. Which was to empty my van entirely, clean out the inside with my bleachy cleaner, make sure that no foodstuff was accessible to inquiring rodents, and then repack everything. I used my spray bottle to spray the peppermint essential oil solution around the outside of the van - tires, wheel wells, engine, anywhere they might be able to get in, and placed my smelly pellet packet deterrents strategically inside my van.
I’m hoping that the combination of all these supplies will be enough!
I set the traps before I went to bed. The end of my story is a little anticlimactic because I have seen no evidence of any mouse since doing the major cleanout, but I’m not complaining. Nothing in any of the traps. No more mousy droppings. No shadowy movements in the night. Either he got the message and hopped out the same way he came in or he is stashed somewhere and riding along with me. Either way, if he shows his face inside my cabin I’m ready. And if he’s gone, then I hope he’s living a happy life in nature. But at least now I’m prepared…
Gold Mine Glory
By making the decision to take the easier way over the mountains I thought I was losing out on travelling the same route that the expedition boys made. I’ve been trying to stay true to their route when possible, but I was just getting more and more anxious as I got closer and closer, and finally made the decision to stay on the paved routes. I was happy to learn that one of the alternate routes I took was also used by Clark on the return trip. So I didn’t really miss out after all!
The bonus of taking the easier route, besides not having to traverse dangerous, rutted, curvy, steep, single-lane dirt roads, was that I got to spend time in Bannack. This town had its heyday from the early 1860’s until the early 20th century, with several different boom and bust periods. Gold was discovered in the creek that ran right by my campsite (in case you’re curious, I did not pan for gold while there - the signs nearby made it clear I would add to my outlaw status if I tried). After that discovery the rush was on, and the town basically rose overnight in 1862. Today it is a ghost town, preserved to honor its former glory as a preeminent mining town which also has the distinction of being the first capitol of the Montana Territory. That didn’t last long but who cares? Its history includes saloons, hangings, murders, gunfights in the streets, brothels and all manner of lawlessness that made the wild west wild. The buildings still stand and one can go in and out pretty much at will. The campground was a short walk away, and was lovely and private.
After the mousy cleanout of the van, Sadie and I took a walk through the ghost village and later I successfully built a campfire (never a foregone conclusion with me). Perfect night to sit by the fire and just chill, thinking about the old west. Notably, I did not notice any mention in the town about the impact of the mining rush on the tribes living in the area in the 1860’s and beyond. It was all about glorifying the wild west nature of the town and its infamous character.
Other Roadtrip Tidbits
Here are a couple of fun facts I’ve picked up.
Other 19th Century Explorers
Besides Lewis and Clark, there were two other documented explorations of the West that occurred about thirty years after that first expedition returned. From 1832 to 1834 a German, Prince Maximillian of Weid, took it upon himself to document what he could about the existing ways of life of the Plains Indian tribes before they were totally destroyed by the influx of American culture, values and customs.. Maximillian could see the clear trend of the westward push by immigrants and knew that the West as it had existed for hundreds of years was coming to an end. Quickly. He wasn’t happy about it and wasn’t afraid to speak out on the subject.
He intentionally brought a Swiss artist with him, Karl Bodmer, so that drawings and paintings could be made that would preserve the scenes of tribal life, culture, dress, food, games, music, buildings, and anything else that would help explain the Indian culture.
The other person to spend extensive time in the Louisiana Territory was George Catlin, a self taught painter who left his career as a lawyer in Philadelphia to pursue adventures in the west, painting the Plains Indians and their way of life. He, like Maximillian, saw the aspects of what he loved most ebbing away as the settlers streamed in and the American government took increasing control over the fate of the Indian tribes and their movements. Catlin travelled to the west in 1830, a couple of years earlier than Maximillian, and captured many scenes of life on the prairie, embedding himself within the tribal villages for weeks or months at a time and being treated to many customs and rituals, some related to preparations for war, and others recording aspects of daily life.
This famous painting of Lewis and Clark meeting Flathead Indians is by another western artist, Charlie Russell, and was painted much later, in 1911. It is massively big and sits on the wall in the Montana State Capitol Building. It is kept behind locked doors when the legislature is not in session. When I entered the building I told the guy at the information desk that I was just passing through and wanted to see it if possible, but I couldn’t wait an hour for the official tour to begin. He kindly took me right up.
Forts But Not Forts.
The forts that emerged after the Lewis and Clark expedition, usually located at spots above the river, were not military forts built for battle and defense so much as they were trading posts that welcomed anyone who needed anything. Kind of like the shopping mall of the early 1800’s. At these forts one could meet any number of Indians from different tribes, French Canadian trappers and hunters who needed to resupply, or British traders passing through. When you think about it, these forts were centers of commerce for various cultures and groups of people. What a missed opportunity to build long-lasting relationships and community and fellowship among the different people passing through. Instead, there was a hierarchy among the visitors, spearheaded by the Americans.
Lewis and Clark saw the economic potential of trading posts and made suggestions about where forts should go in order for Jefferson and the American government to take control of the commerce that was about to flood the area. Once the Americans started building forts, they left little room for competition by the French, Spanish or English. These forts proliferated in various remote regions of the west for a number of years before becoming outdated in the face of steamboats and trains that went from city to city as they sprung up across the plains and over the mountains. The new cities became the economic centers, leaving no more need (in the minds of those who were controlling the supply and demand) for remote forts in outlying regions of the territory.
Verifying Lewis and Clark Campsite
There is an archeological dig outside of Lolo, Montana, which (of course!) I visited. The Lewis and Clark journals talk about the expedition camping there several nights both coming and going. Today the area is called Travelers’ Rest. In general, it is difficult if not impossible to determine exactly where a Lewis and Clark encampment was. Oftentimes, the location simply doesn’t exist anymore because of the changing river and topography and development, or there isn’t enough detail in the journals to figure out exactly where they were (although lots of small towns along the route make the claim that they know). But this location is different because the journals gave enough information that one could figure out exactly where it was likely to have been, and the land still existed and was accessible.
What I found interesting was how they verified that this was indeed the encampment. As one might expect, they found metal objects that were from the time period, and some charred rocks from fire pits, also from that time period, and some other pieces of evidence. But the clincher was when they found the latrines. By collecting and analyzing the two hundred year old toilet remains, they were able to determine that those remains contained mercury vapor, which was linked to Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolts, the common treatment frequently prescribed to the men on the expedition who were ill. Lewis studied with Dr. Rush before the launch of the expedition, and loaded up their supplies with his medicine. This was a definitive piece of evidence, and there was no other reason for the mercury in that form to be present at that site. When added to a military uniform button, a blue glass bead (which they were carrying for gifts to tribes), and a spilled piece of lead that was sourced to a region of Kentucky that was producing lead for the military at the time, there was apparently no doubt in the minds of scholars that this was indeed an authentic Lewis and Clark camp. It is now a state park with a nice interpretive center and museum.
The site is also significant because it was here at Travelers’ Rest on the return trip that Lewis and Clark decided to split up, with Clark exploring the Yellowstone River and meeting up with Lewis on the Missouri River many weeks later.
Message on Trees
Apparently it was not uncommon for Lewis or Clark and a few men to split off from the main group for several days or even weeks at a time. There were many reasons for this - check out overland routes, go down rivers to see if they were navigable, hunting parties, visits to tribal villages, etc. They needed to be able to communicate and meet back up, and a common way to send messages was to leave a note on a tree. This more or less worked until it didn’t. One time a beaver chopped down the tree that had the note on it and dragged it away, and so the message got lost, which caused some confusion for a few days until they found each other again.
Next Steps
Now that I’m through the mountains, it’s all downriver from here! (until I start for home…) Stay tuned.
