White River

The bronze dates the river's name to Perrin du Lac, who wrote that he camped near its mouth in 1802 and met Cheyennes there. His account, published in France in 1805, is doubted by many scholars as a firsthand journey, and much of its Upper Missouri description was lifted from the journal of the trader Jean-Baptiste Truteau. The bronze's second claim stands on firmer ground: Sergeant Patrick Gass and Reubin Field of the Lewis and Clark party did scout the White River in September 1804.

What the plaque says

Historic Highway White River has been so called since Perrin du Lac camped near mouth and met Cheyennes in 1802. 16 Sept. 1804 Sgt. Patrick Gass and Reuben Fields reconnoiter- ing were at this point. Erected 1956 by John B. Byre and State Highway Commission

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Dignity of Earth and Sky — 11 mi
  A fifty-foot stainless-steel Lakota woman on the bluff above the Missouri, her star quilt made of 128 blue diamonds that shiver in the wind.
• Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center — 13 mi
  A museum on the campus of a Catholic boarding school for Lakota children founded in 1927, built from gifts of the school's alumni and named to honor the people.

More markers nearby

• American Island — 11 mi
• Historic Highway Map Marker Iona — 16 mi