Northeast Montana

When The Corps of Discovery entered into what is now the state of Montana, they began to notice more new animals such as the bighorn sheep, mule deer, and a variety of birds.  The number of antelopes and wolves increased, and beavers were both plentiful and unafraid. The members of the Corps found that beavers were excellent for food, especially the tail. But they also began to encounter grizzly bears, which at first they called white, brown, yellow, or red bears. 

Expedition members soon discovered that whatever the color, the bears were as ferocious as they had been described to them. Even with the Corps' superior weapons, they found the bears difficult to kill and dangerous. Lewis recorded that compared to the black bear, “it is a much more furious and formidable animal, and will frequently pursue the hunter when wounded. It is astonishing to see the wounds they will bear before they can be put to death.” On May 5, 1805, Captain Clark and Droulliard killed a large grizzly that put up a tremendous struggle even with “five balls through his lungs and five others in various parts he swam more than half the distance acoss the river to a sandbar & it was at least twenty minutes before he died.”

Lewis described the country in northeast Montana as:

“much more pleasant and fertile than that we have passed for several days; the hills are lower, the bottoms wider, and better stocked with timber, which consists principally of cottonwood…the high country on either side of the river is one vast plain, intirely destitute of timber, but is apparently fertile, consisting of a dark rich mellow looking lome.”

Today, northeastern Montana along the Missouri River looks much different than in 1805 due to the construction of Fort Peck Dam. The places the expedition camped are now underwater. But the plains beyond remain fertile and very pleasant. 

The dam is just over 250 feet high and 3,500 feet wide at the base. The length of the dam is 21,026 feet. Lake Peck is 134 miles long and is 220 feet at its deepest. Not only does the dam produce about 1 billion kilo watt hours annually, but it provides significant recreational boating, fishing, camping, and wild life viewing opportunities. 

The Fort Peck Visitor Center houses an excellent museum that tells the story of the Hell Creek Geological Formation, the people who have lived in the area, and the dam. A tour of the dam and its five huge generators begins with a photo history of the construction of the dam.

Northeastern Montana remains mostly rural, and we enjoyed seeing so much undeveloped country and the natural state of the area.