Welcome to Travelers' Rest State Park. For hundreds of years, the Bitterroot Salish have called this place Tmsmli, meaning "No Salmon" with old stories that tell why the streams in this area
do not have this fish. However, the place had plenty of other
good things. There were deer and elk for hunting, plants for food and medicine and lovely, shady cottonwood trees. Three important native trails also crossed
each other here. East to hunt Buffalo. South to trade for horses. And west through the s
teep Bitterroot Mountains to get salmon. For these reasons this place has
long been a favorite campsite a place of rest, of gathering, and of
trade for the Bitterroot Salish and for many other tribes that came through this area each year as part of their seasonal journeys. In 1805, a new group came here. Meriwether Lewis William Clark and their Corps of Discovery.
This group of 33 people, which we often call the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was sent by President Thomas Jefferson to travel west
across the whole continent. Their goal was to find the easiest way to the Pacific Ocean and to learn about the people they met and the animals and plants that they found many of which were totally new
to these travelers from the East. A guide from the Shoshone tribe led them here.
On September 9, 1805, Lewis wrote in his journal "Our guide informs that we should
leave the river at this place and the weather appearing settled and fair,
I determined to halt the next day, rest our horses and take
some celestial
observations. We called this creek Travelers' Rest. It is about 20 yards wide,
a fine, bold, clear running stream. They spent two days camped here getting ready for what would turn out to be one of the hardest parts of their journey climbing mountains already buried deep in snow. Remembering the important crossroads at
Travelers' Rest, and the beauty of the place they stopped here again on their
way back from the Pacific Ocean. They camped from June 30 to July 3, 1806. The group
rested, fixed their guns, and got ready for another tough part of the journey. After Travelers' Rest, the expedition split into two groups to each visit a new area with the plan to meet up again
all the way across what is now Montana. Over a month later, they did. Today, Travelers' Rest State Park is the only place where we are certain that the
Lewis and Clark Expedition camped. When you visit the park, you can see where their fires and latrines were learn about how archaeologists figured out t
hat this is the correct spot and walk the trails to see the many birds animals and plants that continue to depend on Lolo Creek and the habitat, or home, that it creates. Whether you live close by or far away, we hope you enjoy the rest that this beautiful place can provide.
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