Everybody has to be somewhere.....

We left our simple accomodations in Malta, Montana, the Maltana Motel, to make the short drive to the Hitching Post cafe for a pretty decent breakfast. Then we gassed up the car and headed west and north.

En route, we passed through Chinook, Montana, and visited the local museum, where we saw an interesting multi-media presentation on what is considered the last battle in the in Indian Wars of the post Civil War period. You can see more about the museum here: Museum.

Maltana Motel

The Hitching Post

Bear Paw Site

Here's where you can learn more about the battle: Battle. 

There were some other sights around the town:

We pushed on to Cut Bank, Montana. It likes to claim the title of "Coldest Spot in the US". I don't know whether that includes Alaska. It probably beats out Hawaii.

 We saw dozens of very long trains. This on is hauling containers. Many of them we saw were hauling almost endless chains of tank cars hauling petroleum products. That, and wheat seem to be the major product of this area.

The Cherokee Trail or Rocky Mountain Trail ended its 800 mile path in Cut Bank. Starting from Fort Smith, Arkansas, this trail was carved by thousands of Cherokee miners in the 1850s and 1860s, who sought gold mining rushes in Colorado, Wyoming and California.

On July 26, 1806, Captain Meriwether Lewis with George Drewyer (Drouillard), Joseph Fields and Reuben Fields camped with a party of eight young Blackfeet Indians. At first the meeting was cordial, but the encounter turned hostile when Lewis disclosed to the Blackfeet that the United States government had plans to supply all the Plains Indians with firearms for hunting. This was not good news for the Blackfeet, who until that point had controlled firearms through trade relations with the Hudson's Bay Company.

The Blackfeet decided to make off with the party’s guns and horses leaving them on foot. At this point, this was the only armed encounter with Indians during the entire expedition. Two of the young Blackfeet were killed in this fight over horses and guns.

This actual site was not discovered until 1964 by two Cut Bank Boy Scout leaders,who used the directions and descriptions contained in Lewis’ journal. The "three solitary trees" described by Lewis in his journal still stood in the place Lewis depicted. The site has been marked and fenced by the local Boy Scouts.

Captain Meriwether Lewis followed the north branch of the Marias River, now known as the Cut Bank Creek and camped south and east of Cut Bank on Monday, July 21, 1806.

There was no timber to be found to build a fire so buffalo chips were used. The company was nearly out of provisions. They wounded a buffalo, but were unable to retrieve it. The following day, the group proceeded to Camp Disappointment.

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Finally, we arrived at our destination:

This is our first stay at a place obtained through Wyndham points. It's adequate.

TBT Day 8