COLLECTIBLE CLOTHING; CAVERNS; CONFLUENCES
On the way out of Anaconda this morning we saw one more reminder of the powerful hold that the copper mining history has over this town. The signs below show the potential value of vintage clothing from the mining era. It’s time to check those closets!
We had reservations to tour the Lewis and Clark Caverns today on our way to Bozeman. After crossing over the Continental Divide, and just off I-90 near the little town of Cardwell, we turned onto Highway 2 and followed the Jefferson River into a narrow valley that climbed up to a wider valley. Up here, next to the river, is where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805 on their way west.
Three miles north up in the steep hills lining the valley, is the entrance to the caverns. The road going up switches back and forth to quickly gain elevation.
The caverns have a long and interesting history, but the short version is: Native Americans knew about them for eons, but never went into them. Lewis and Clark did not know about them, even though they were camped just three miles below. Some ranchers in the 1880’s saw the entrance, but never went in. An 1890’s landowner/entrepreneur learned about them and explored them enough to know he could make a buck leading tours. Eventually, with help from the C.C.C. in the 1930’s, the State of Montana turned them into a State Park.
Here are some photos we took inside, where the air temperature was a cool and consistent 48 degrees.
A formation called the North Pole. Note Santa with a ball cap.
This one’s called Babe Ruth’s bat.
Here we are next to a door built by the C.C.C. and still in service today.
A geode in the wall of the 500 foot long tunnel blasted to get into the caverns (also compliments of the C.C.C.). Our guide says this geode runs hundreds of feet horizontally through the side of the mountain.
Who is that on the left, peeking out?
Our next stop was north of I-90 at the Missouri River Headwaters State Park. To get there, we drove along the Jefferson River. On our way, we crossed over the Madison River and the Gallatin River.
It is where these three rivers meet that the Missouri River begins. It is where Lewis and Clark camped. It is where generations of Native American tribes congregated to hunt and trade. It is also where Karen and I stood today.
This is Lewis Rock, where Meriwether Lewis climbed up to make astronomical observations and plot maps as they traveled west.
Back in June 2018 at the other end, Karen and I also stood in St. Charles, Missouri, where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River, and where Lewis and Clark officially started their expedition.
We pulled into downtown Bozeman tonight just in time for an authentic German dinner.
NEXT: Gates of The Mountains State Park
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