Bozeman +

We drove around the major areas of Bozeman yesterday afternoon, and with a couple of exceptions found it to be a "regular" town, with an historic downtown converted to stores, shops and restaurants.  So:

This morning was cold and wet.  The temp was 42, but according to Weather.com, felt like 38.  And I believe it.  It wasn't this cold when we crossed the Continental Divide yesterday at an elevation of 6393'!  A lazy morning led to a late start, but an interesting drive.

Some 30 miles west of Bozeman is the location of the Madison Buffalo Jump.  This is located, surprisingly, near the town of Madison, MT, and is one of several documented areas where American Indians "harvested" Bison, from roughly 2000 years ago until the acquisition of horses and guns led to its abandonment in the 19th century.

A drive south of I90 through ranch country leads to the state park:

The herds of Bison were cleverly fooled into chasing young men disguised as wolves onto the top of the bluff and then over the edge.  A drop of 30 feet killed most of the bison, and the women of the tribe set about cleaning and preparing the meat.  Everything was used, from hides to bone marrow to sinew.

After the buffalo jump, we went a few miles north to Three Forks, MT, to see the headwaters of the Missouri River.  Three rivers converge here, the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin.  They were named in 1805 by Lewis and Clark for the President, Vice President, and Secretary of War.  It was fascinating to imagine Lewis and Clark on this very spot 200 years ago as they finished their boat trip up the Missouri and transferred to overland travel.  At this place they packed all their belongings and set out to find the Shoshone Tribe, where Sacajawea was expected to help them find horses and guides.

Here's a couple of pics of the actual confluence.  Note the swirling water where the streams meet.

Just a bit north of the confluence is the remains of one of the various cities built in the area.  Here you see the original appearance of two of the building, and then their state of decay today.

A quick trip into Three Forks to see the historic Sacajawea Hotel with it's signature metal sculpture, along with a quick lunch completed our trip around Bozeman.

It's time to leave Bozeman.  Tomorrow's destination promises to have some nutritional value.  Stay tuned.