Bear Mouth Historical Marker

Map Location

Maps detected!

---

This page uses Google Maps. The map will be loaded from Google-Server and some of your data may be used by Google. In order to see the maps, please click accept. You can also click here to see further information related to this.

Deny Accept

Categories:

Historical Markers/Interpretive Sign,  Historic Sites,  Lewis and Clark Expedition

Keywords:

• Bear Mouth Historical Marker, 
• Montana Historical Markers

General info

Bear Mouth, across the river to the south, was a trading point for the placer camps at Beartown, Garnet, and Coloma located in the hills north of here. A pioneer family named Lannen operated the gold exchange and a ferry boat.

The river, officially known as Clark Fork of the Columbia and so named for Capt. Wm. Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, has many local names. Its source is Silver Bow Creek, then it becomes the Deer Lodge River, changes to the Hellgate River is then called the Missoula and winds up as the Clark Fork.

It had one other name given to it by a white man. In September 1841, the intrepid Jesuit priest, Pierre Jean De Smet, traveled westward through here on his way from St. Louis to establish a mission for the Flathead Indians in the Bitter Root Valley. He crossed the river at the present site of Garrison and named it the St. Ignatius.

Gallery