Pompey's Pillar National Monument lies about 35 miles east of Billings, Montana. Although Linda and I have passed this location several times in the past, we always seem to have passed the monument outside of visiting hours. I decided to make sure to stop and visit it on this trip. This meant doubling back on Friday, the second day of my trip to the Fur Trappers Rendezvous sites.
As I pulled up to the entry gate, I could see the "pillar" brightly lit by the sun in the east.
This large sandstone rock formation contains the only physical reminders of the Lewis & Clark expedition of 1804-1806 commissioned by the third United States president, Thomas Jefferson, to explore and document the relatively unexplored land west of the Mississippi river.
When Lewis & Clark returned from their trip to the mouth of the Columbia River after wintering at Fort Clatsop near present-day Astoria, Oregon, the two leaders split up at Travelers Rest near Missoula with Lewis proceeding along a northern route and the Missouri River and William Clark taking a more southern route and following the Yellowstone River. The two rejoined at the junction of the two rivers.
At Pompeys Pillar, the visitor has the opportunity to get a nice glimpse of the route traveled by Clark and see his signature carved into the sandstone. The stone formation is named for Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, (nick-named Pompey) the eighteen month old son of Sacagawea who had led Clark through the Bozeman Pass to the Yellowstone.
Clark recorded his impressions of the site in his diary as follows:
“this rock I ascended and from it’s top had a most extensive view in every direction. This rock which I shall Call Pompy’s Tower [named for Jean Baptiste ‘Pomp’ Charbonneau] is 200 feet high and 400 paces in secumphrance and only axcessable on one Side which is from the N. E the other parts of it being a perpendicular Clift of lightish Coloured gritty rock on the top there is a tolerable Soil of about 5 or 6 feet thick Covered with Short grass. The Indians have made 2 piles of Stone on the top of this Tower. The nativs have ingraved on the face of this rock the figures of animals &c. near which I marked my name and the day of the month & year.”
Barely visible in this closer view of the stone formation is the viewing stand that I would climb for the same view of the Yellowstone Valley that William Clark noted in his diary.
The Visitor Center is relatively new, completed in 2006 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition. The center is operated on a seasonal basis and is closed from October through April.
The climb to the top of the pillar is accomplished via a wooden stairway. About two-thirds of the way up, William Clark's autograph is enclosed in a wood and glass case.
The view from the top is well worth the climb with views both to the east and west.
For tourists unable or unwilling to climb the stairs, a nice view of the Yellowstone river is available at ground level.
Also, at ground level, is a replica of several of the autographs on the pillar, including Clark's.
A series of informative signs at ground level, titled as the "Yellowstone River Walkway" provides an informative description of this portion of Captain Clark's return journey.
One other sign depicts the deterioration and restoration of parts of the Pillar. One strong earthquake and this monument will be gone. See it while you can.
An exhibit outside the visitors center documents a bit of the life Montana's indigenous nations and their lifestyles.
Close by, an artist's conception of the river scene as it ay have appeared to a variety of travelers in 1873.
More photos at this Flickr Album.
Posts
