“The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri River, and
such principal streams of it, as, by its course and communication
with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon,
Colorado or any other river, may offer the most direct and practical
water communication across this continent for the purposes of
commerce…”
~Thomas Jefferson
These were the final instructions given to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark before they embarked upon their journey into the Louisiana Purchase. The beauty they discovered was beyond their wildest expectations. The people they encountered represented dozens of unique cultures, and enabled the successful completion of their mission. The geography, flora, fauna, and other natural phenomenon they documented resulted in an enormous body of scientific information that was new to the western world.
Today, much of the Montana territory that Lewis and Clark explored remains unchanged including this pristine landscape southwest of Bozeman.
What do you think?