Traveler's Rest
About this property
Travelers' Rest was a stopping point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, located about one mile south of Lolo, Montana. The expedition stopped from September 9 to September 11, 1805, before crossing the Bitterroot Mountains, and again on the return trip from June 30 to July 3, 1806. Travelers' Rest is at the eastern end of the Lolo Trail. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It is the only National Historic Landmark to have been declared without a precise location. The boundaries were revised following the submission of a detailed site nomination in 1978 by Blanche Higgins Schroer of the National Park Service, assisted by the Montana State Historic Preservation Office. The submission nominated 700 acres, of which all was east of Hwy 93. Today, the historical landmark is located on the by the 51-acre (21 ha) Travelers' Rest State Park, which is operated by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Significant archeological findings unearthed in 2002 make this the only site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that has yielded physical proof of the explorers' presence. Records made by Lewis and Clark often spell "Traveler's" as "Traveller's". After departing here in 1806, Lewis and Clark split up. Lewis' part of the expedition traveled through what is now the Alice Creek Historic District before rejoining the Missouri River in what is now Great Falls. Clark's portion of the expedition explored the Yellowstone River before the two halves were reunited on August 11th, 1806 when they reached Sanish, North Dakota. At the time of landmark designation in 1960, the exact location of the expedition's campsite was unknown. Boundaries were formalized on December 12, 1983. Subsequent investigations revealed that errors had been made in setting the boundaries of the landmark. Detailed historical and scientific investigations resulted in a 55-page request for boundary corrections, submitted on May 10, 2004, and approved on March 21, 2006. A new road and bridge were built in 2006.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Traveler's Rest listed on the National Register?
Traveler's Rest was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.
What type of historic resource is Traveler's Rest?
Traveler's Rest is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Traveler's Rest a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Traveler's Rest has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Traveler's Rest?
The period of significance for Traveler's Rest is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Traveler's Rest?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Traveler's Rest will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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