Saturday, September 8, 2018

Charlie M Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT

Arrived at 10:00am to the Museum which the Wall Street Journal called, "one of America's premier western art museums." 

Since he was young, Bill always admired Frederick Remington (1861-1909) and Charlie Russell (1864-1926) for their oils, water colors and sculpture. The site actually houses his house/studio on the the grounds as well. The museum had many of his oils of Indians, Indian women, bison hunting, western scenery, letters and his memorabilia including saddle, hats, guns, etc. It's just too much. There are up to 2,000 pieces of art, personal items and artifacts either on display or housed in a research center on site. And a large gallery of The Bison: An American Icon and Heart of Plains Indian Culture was just stunning. We toured this excellent museum until noon.

York 1908

Lewis and Clark Reach Shoshone Camp Led By Sagagawea
The Bird Woman 1918

CMRussell Museum

CMRussell Museum

Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center
Fort Benton, Fort Benton, MT

CMRussell

Drove 50 miles NE to Ft Benton over thousands of acres of wheat along the railroad tracks.  No one behind us or in front of us.  We were quite a few miles NE of the Missouri River (which has no road access on either side for miles). We toured the L&C Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center in Fort Benton, MT.  

Upper Missouri River Interpretive Center, Ft. Benton, MT

It is an impressive little museum run by Bureau of Land Management and part of the North Central stretch of the Missouri River designated as wild and scenic: rugged and remote valleys, badlands and coulees. High cliffs rise up right along the Missouri. We viewed another good BLM/NPS movie, White Cliffs, Wild River, about the site and the river's history. It is still very remote and wild, the upper Missouri of the "white cliffs" referred to by L&C. The Missouri here is a river of green banks, canyons, cottonwoods, ash and willow trees, once inhabited by the Crow, Blackfeet, Assiniboine (Nakota) and Gros Ventre Indian tribes. 

In 1829 Ft. Benton was a similar trading post as Ft. Union in ND on the Yellowstone River, one trading annually with large numbers of Plains Indians in furs and trade goods. In 1860 it was the world's innermost commercial port, 3,494 miles from Gulf of Mexico and booming with business. It was considered the largest in country port of commerce in the USA with steamships plying up and down the dangerous Missouri River. Soon steamboat commerce and people brought small pox and destroyed whole Indian tribes and villages. The upper Missouri was barely navigable and only certain types of boats were able to climb the rapids and fight the river's current.  Steamboats had no keel, a shallow draft, a broad beam, a spoon billed bow with poles on the port and starboard sides that allowed the boat to "grasshopper" across sandbars, lifting the bow and allowing full power to push up river. 

NOTE: General Terry of the US Army during his Sioux campaign used his steamboat, Far West, to provide medical care and transportation for for Reno/Benteen's 60 wounded solders from the Battle of Little Big Horn. They were taken from Little Bighorn, transported to Fort Benton on the steamship, then to Fort Abraham Lincoln in Bismark, ND.

This stretch of the Missouri is 149 miles long and considered a National Monument. We rode through the town of Fort Benton towards the actual Fort along the Missouri, stopping at many historic signs and event plaques including one honoring Robert Montgomery (famous actor) and Lewis and Clark's role. Similar to Ft Union in ND, this was a fur trading fort and trading center before it became a military fort during the Civil War. 

Wilma said, "This is the closest I ever want to be to a Griz!"

Plaque says, "Surrender Rifle - Chief Joseph presented this
rifle to Generals Howard and Miles at his surrender. The rifle was
left in Montana under the care of US District Judge, John J. Tatten"

Nez Perce Blanket - "A Nez Perce woman beaded this blanket
in a beautiful floral design. After the Bear Paw's battle, a starving
Nez Perce Indian traded this blanket for food before they were
sent by steamboat to Oklahoma for imprisonment."

And wow, this little museum houses the actual surrender Winchester rifle of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce! Once again, we've seen real history in the west.


Decision Point, Confluence of the Marias and Missouri Rivers, Loma, MT

Left at 2:30 to drive to Lewis and Clark's Decision Point Lookout, Loma, MT at the confluence of the Marias and Missouri Rivers. L&C traveled up through here from the Great Falls and it is still a vast, remote and undeveloped stretch of river. Bill fished a small tributary of Missouri while Wilma got a call from Dave/Emily and girls who chatted away.

After getting to the Marias and Missouri River Decision point, the Corps scouted for 10 days up each River in order to to decide which one to take north and west. This was a critical decision since they were told by the Mandans there was a falls up river and a wrong decision would sent them off track, a critical error. This stretch of the upper Missouri River is very similar and much undisturbed as L&C would have seen it. 

From Decision Point Lookout. Missouri on right, Marias
coming in from the top left.

From Lewis' Journals, we read what happened...

June 9, 1805 - "I indevoured to impress on the minds of the party all of whom except Capt. C. being still firm in the belief that the N. Fork was the Missouri and that which we ought to take; they said very cheerfully that they were ready to follow us any where we thought proper to direct ... it was agreeed between Capt. C. and myself that one of us should set out with a small party by land up the South fork and continue our rout up it until we found the falls".

June 13, 1805 - " I retired to the shade of a tree where I determined to fix my camp for the present and dispatch a man in the morning to inform Capt. C. and the party of my success in finding the falls and settle in their minds all further doubts as to the Missouri".

We talk about being in the "middle of nowhere."  Our truck
is left, in the parking lot.  Marias outlook is right.

At 4:15 we drove the hour+ back to Great Falls, then to The BarS Lounge and Supper Club for a great Beef dinner. We got to camp at 6:15pm.

Weekly Summary
At the end of Week 4 of our Lewis and Clark adventure, since August 19, 2018, we've driven 4,915 miles, camped in 16 campgrounds, crossed 19 major US rivers, seen 83 bird species, crossed 5 major US mountain ranges and driven on 22 States. We're enjoying our  travels and time together immensely, seeing this opportunity as a rare gift and treasure.