Day 30 - Dillon, Montana

What a beautiful morning here in the high desert town of Dillon MT. Agriculture is the chief industry in Beaverhead County which has 8000 people and 40,000 cattle. The growing season is an average of 82 frost free days. Wow, what a place to live and retire here as many seem to be doing.

We started our tour going to Beaverhead Rock which was named by Sacagawea. If you know what a beaver head looks like, then you can see the resemblance in the rock. 

Beaverhead Rock

Beaver head swimming

Our tour guide Dan Pence was very knowledgeable about the area and many facts about the Lewis & Clark journey. Dan mentioned it is believed that Sacagawea died of Putreus Fever after giving birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, in December of 1811. Little is known of Elizabeth. We visited Clark’s Lookout Point where he recorded his bearings using Beaverhead Rock and the Pass to the left of the snow capped mountains for two points of reference. The Missouri River has split by now into 3 rivers and Lewis and Clark are following what they named Jefferson River, and which today is called Beaverhead River.  We saw some Indian drawings in a cave that were from the 1700’s or earlier. The one of the rattlesnake was most visible. 

Indian Cliff Dwelling

Cliff Dwelling Drawing of Snake

We went on to Camp Fortunate where Lewis and Clark found the Shoshone Indians and were able to trade for horses to carry supplies over the mountains. Lewis and Clark sank their boats in the beaver pond to keep from checking while they were gone and could find them when they returned. This is also the place where Sacagawea meets her family again and her dear friend Morningstar, who escaped the capture by the Hidatsa Indians years before and made it back to her home village.

Sacagawea and Morningstar

We saw many animals today: deer, bald eagle, ground squirrels, moose, a badger and many antelope, which Dan said are Ice Age remnants related to the giraffe.

We traveled to Lemhi Pass at 7373’ elevation, which is at the continental divide. We saw down the canyon to Idaho and saw a sign that discouraged RV’s from traveling that road.

You can see Idaho from here

A delicious picnic lunch was provided by our tour guide at Sacagawea Memorial Area and we were able to straddle the headwaters of the Missouri River. 


We ended our day at Bannack Ghost Town and we were very impressed with the extent of the buildings and the good condition they are in. I was impressed that the school house was on the bottom floor of the Masonic Hall, which met on the second floor. In the heyday of the gold mining, the population in Bannack was 3000. Tomorrow we are traveling to Lolo Hot Springs. 

Submitted by “Adventure Rig 12”’

Bob and Carolyn Henkel at the headwaters