Lewis and Clark in Salish Territory

The panel ends with races, and Lewis's journal for July 2, 1806, fills them in. That evening the Nez Perce guides, hired in Idaho for two guns, ran their horses, and they and the soldiers ran foot races with wins on both sides; Lewis called them hardy, strong and active men. Earlier that day their leader insisted on exchanging names, and Lewis became Yo-me-kol-lick, the white bearskin folded. The guides meant to go looking for their Salish friends, and Lewis persuaded them to ride on with him first and put him on the road to the Missouri.

What the plaque says

Lewis and Clark in Salish Territory The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped near here September 9 through 11, 1805, while traveling through the ancient territory of the Salish and Pend d' Oreille people. Since time immemorial, the tribes have known this place as Tmsmli (approximately pronounced tim-sum-lee), meaning "No Salmon," a name originating in their creation stories. Lewis and Clark called it Travelers Rest, and it later became known as Lolo Creek. Here the party rested the horses they had acquired from the Salish and unsuccessfully attempted to secure a supply of game for their difficult westward trip across the Bitterroot Mountains. It was at Travelers Rest that the party confirmed the presence of the Indian route up the Blackfoot River to the Great Plains east of the Rockies. This ancient trail of the Salish and Pend d' Oreille people was also used by the allied tribes to the West, including the Nez Perce. It was part of a sophisticated network of aboriginal trails that crisscrossed the northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest. Lewis and Clark returned to camp on Lolo Creek from June 30 to July 3, 1806. They stocked up on deer meat, ran races with their Nez Perce guides, readied their gear, and finalized their plans to separate before returning to St Louis.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Travelers' Rest State Park — 0.6 mi
  The one Lewis and Clark campsite with proof in the ground: hearths, gun lead and a latrine still laced with mercury.
• Fort Fizzle — 4.3 mi
  A log barricade built to stop the Nimiipuu in 1877. They climbed the ridge behind it and walked around.
• Fort Missoula — 7.1 mi
  An 1877 Army post that held Italian seamen and Japanese immigrant men behind its fence in World War II.
• A Carousel for Missoula — 9.7 mi
  A cabinetmaker's promise to the city council: give it a home, and he would carve the horses.

More markers nearby

• The Bitterroot Valley, Homeland of the Selíš — steps away
• The Lolo Trail — 1.1 mi
• Lewis and Clark on Lolo Creek — 4.3 mi
• Fort Fizzle — 4.3 mi