Yellowstone Gateway Museum - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

Currently closed because of Covid-19 but hope to be open by summer 2021. / Tuesday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm

406-222-4184

Adults $5 / Seniors (62+) $4 Youth (12 & under) free / 13-18 $4

lat: 45.6640772 long: -110.5643198

The Yellowstone Gateway Museum is on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Visit us and receive a special cancellation stamp for your National Park Service passport book. We offer interactive exhibits, a Research Center, and programming. The museum is housed in the 1906 North Side School, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Explore permanent exhibits that interpret the area’s native cultures; early expeditions, including the Corps of Discovery and Lewis and Clark; the railway’s role in bringing visitors to Yellowstone National Park and other transportation themes; and the stories and artifacts of early-day communities. Outdoor exhibits include a one-room schoolhouse; blacksmith shop; a fleet of transportation vehicles, including a caboose.

Current temporary exhibits include: Pull Up a Chair: Tales from the Seats of History; On Fire: Structural and Wildland Firefighting; A Military History of Park County; Communication: A Changing Conversation; and One Hundred Years Ago in Park County. Upcoming exhibits include: Ice Age Mammals and an outdoor Agriculture (Farming and Ranching) exhibit.

New in 2020 are online exhibits. These include Exploring Yellowstone Through ART, a 2015 exhibit, which showcases twenty-five local artists and their inspirational stories; Glimmers of History, weekly social media posts that highlight photos and stories in our collections; and Honoring Park County Veterans: A Military History, personal stories from local veterans and more.

Norm Miller in Churchill Clark's dugout canoe, in Lewis and Clark exhibit.

Norm Miller in Churchill Clark's dugout canoe, in Lewis and Clark exhibit.

Blacksmiths in museum's blacksmith shop during Living History Day

Blacksmiths in museum's blacksmith shop during Living History Day

Students enjoying the museum's Northern Pacific Railway North Coast Limited train car.

Students enjoying the museum's Northern Pacific Railway North Coast Limited train car.

Teaching a class in our one-room schoolhouse.

Teaching a class in our one-room schoolhouse.

Communication exhibit

Communication exhibit

Exhibit

Exhibit

Exhibit

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Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park St

Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park

St. Louis is often recognized as the starting place of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. However, others would argue that the Expedition began further east where Lewis and Clark met to begin traveling together. Today, this site is the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis brought the keelboat down the Ohio River to meet Clark in Louisville. While Lewis had been overseeing the building of said keelboat, Clarj had been busily recruiting local men by way of a strict interview process. Once Lewis arrived with his two men and joined them with Clark’s seven men in Louisville, these first men of the Expedition became known as “the Nine Young Men from Kentucky.” These were William Bratton, John Colter, Joseph and Reuben Field, George Shannon, John Shields, Nathaniel Pryor, George Gibson, and Charles Floyd.

While the Falls of the Ohio are no longer visible, the fossil beds are still very prominent. These Devonian fossil beds are famously recognized as being one of the largest exposed fossil beds in the world. There is a museum on site which tells the history of these fossils, as well as the evolution of the area’s wildlife. The museum also provides information about Lewis and Clark’s time at the Falls and the complicated relationships between the incoming settlers and the local native tribes. The museum was recently renovated and has significantly expanded its exhibits.

Photos credited to Mitchell Pence and the Department of Natural Resources

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #fallsoftheohiostatepark #ohioriver

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monum

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monument

William Clark christened the rock formation “Pompey’s Tower” on July 25, 1806, as he and his party descended the Yellowstone River. Clark gave the huge monolith the nickname that he himself had fondly bestowed upon Sacagawea’s young son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Nicholas Biddle, as he edited the journals upon Lewis and Clark’s return, changed the name to “Pompey’s Pillar.”

Pompey’s Pillar is known for being the only site with visible physical evidence of Lewis and Clark’s journey: Clark carved his name and the date onto the rock’s face. Now covered by a clear panel, the signature is protected from the elements while still being visible to visitors willing to climb up the steps to see it. Visitors can continue up the steps to the top of the rock where they can enjoy a 360-degree view of the landscape surrounding the site. There is also a highly informative and very well-designed visitor’s center at the base of Pompey’s Pillar, along with several outdoor educational structures and hiking trails.

Photos credited to Cait Clark.

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #pompeyspillar #Montana #pompeyspillarnationalmonument

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

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Here’s a summary of a recent video you can find there:

“The phrase "Point of Departure" originates from Captain Meriwether Lewis himself. On May 14, 1804, he wrote in his journal: "The mouth of the River Dubois is to be considered as the point of departure." That spring day, as the Lewis and Clark Expedition set out from what is now Wood River Creek, they embarked on a journey that would reshape the future of the United States.

After more than a year of preparation, the Expedition launched from Camp River Dubois on May 14, 1804. The crew included Captain William Clark, Clark’s enslaved servant York, interpreter George Drouillard, Seaman the dog, 34 enlisted men, and several French engagés—all traveling in a barge and two large pirogues. Their destination: uncharted territory up the Missouri River, starting with a stop in St. Charles where Captain Meriwether Lewis joined them after traveling overland.

Preparation began in December 1803, with winter quarters built at Camp River Dubois, across from the Missouri River’s mouth. Lewis gathered intelligence from St. Louis traders and secured supplies and gifts for diplomacy with Native nations. Meanwhile, the soldiers trained under strict military discipline, preparing for the immense challenges ahead.

A pivotal moment came in March 1804, when Lewis and Clark witnessed the transfer of Upper Louisiana from Spain to France—and then, just one day later, to the United States. This marked the dawn of a new American frontier, and the Expedition was ready to set forth into the unknown.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvhg1Gs3cvs)