Last updated: December 5, 2023
Place
Missouri/Yellowstone Confluence
USFWS
Quick Facts
Location:
15349 39th Ln NW, Williston, ND 58801
Significance:
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their party stopped at this location on their way to the Pacific Ocean.
Designation:
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Amenities
12 listed
Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark knew about the Yellowstone River long before they reached it, because Mandan and Hidatsa people had told them about it.
Mandan leader Sheheke had sketched a map of the Yellowstone River for Lewis and Clark while the expedition wintered in Mandan territory.
Crow people call the river E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay (Elk River) due to seasonal elk migration routes that went by it. Hidatsa people referred to the river as the Yellow Stone (miʔciiʔriaashiish), named for the bluffs of yellow sandstone that frame the river in eastern Montana. French traders translated the Hidatsa name to French and called the river the Roche Jaune (“roche” means rock and “jaune” means yellow).
When Lewis and Clark finally reached the confluence, the party split up to determine which river was the Yellowstone and which was the Missouri. While they made observations based on the stars and the size of the river, Sacagawea told them which river she thought they should take—she had been here before.
The southern fork led to Shoshone communities, where Sacagawea had lived until she was twelve years old. Lewis and Clark were aiming for Shoshone territory. Sacagawea’s connections there were their best chance to procure horses to carry their boats, equipment, and supplies over the Rocky Mountains.
Reaching the Yellowstone was a familiar sight for Sacagawea and a cause for celebration for everyone. Lewis wrote that everyone was “in good health, and much pleased at having arrived at this long wished for spot, and in order to add in some measure to the general pleasure which seemed to pervade our little community, we ordered a dram [a serving of whiskey] to be issued to each person.” Pierre Cruzatte got out his fiddle and soon everyone was singing, dancing, and celebrating.
About this article: This article is part of a series called “Pivotal Places: Stories from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.”
Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums
Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail