Remember that old travel game? Well, you'll need a few things. Shoes that can get wet & muddy boarding. In very low water you may have to wade a short distance. Rain and wind gear, clothing appropriate to the time of year, sunscreen, bug repellent, hiking shoes.
You need to give yourself enough time so you have a couple days to spend in Great Falls and Ft. Benton. The history of the river is the history of both towns, and vice versa. Visit the Russell Museum in Great Falls (a fine collection of C.M. Russell western art), take in the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (an excellent overview of the L&C expedition in the area of the great falls of the Missouri), see the Scriver statue of L&C at overlook park in GF, you'll surely want to see the great falls (there are three you can see easily by auto tour), check out Giant Springs and the Roe River (shortest river in the world), they are adjacent to the Interpretative Center, the next day go to Ft. Benton (see the Scriver statue of L&C and Sacagawea there), visit both museums in Ft. Benton, they are excellent. The Ag(riculture) museum, almost always left out when people think of museum tours, contains items that relate to homestead history as well as farm equipment from the early 1900's that used to litter the Montana countryside and can no longer be found...except in Ft. Benton's Ag Museum.
While you're in Ft. Benton drive to Loma (11 miles), follow the brown and white BLM signs to the hillside overlook of the confluence of the Marias and Missouri where L&C confronted one of the major decisions of the expedition, which was the 'right' river. You could also take the Misssouri Breaks trip from Ft. Benton down to this very confluence (see 'Possibles') it gives you another perspective entirely. Spend the day swimming, sunbathing etc. then return to Ft. Benton. It's a great trip and allows you to do exactly what is described here i.e. go to G.F. and Ft. Benton, visit the museums and experience the river from the vantage point of Lewis and Clark.
GEAR AND LUNCH: You will need footwear that can get wet/muddy boarding. Sport sandals are a great choice. You will need footgear you can hike in, some sport sandals work fine for this, other people prefer something more substantial. You will need cold/hot weather clothing depending on the season. Sunscreen, bug repellent, if it's hot, you'll need a hat, sunglasses...Missouri Breaks will supply your lunch. It is ample, hearty and delicious. If you have special dietary needs, please let us know.
It's also worth noting there are vault toilets at Coal Banks, Eagle Creek, Hole-in-the-Wall, Slaughter River and Judith Landing. They are sometimes very clean, sometimes not-quite-so-clean but they are always much nicer than the old 'outhouses' and they are placed at good intervals for convenience. You may want to bring along some tissue, often the toilet tissue is taken from the toilets by the floaters who 'run short'.
We do sell t-shirts and caps with the Missouri Breaks River Co. logo and name. They'll be with the shuttle vehicle if you're making a summer run. The shirts are $10.00-$20.00 each and come in a variety of shades and sizes and the caps, $15.00 each, come in three or four color patterns, one size fits all.
You need to make arrangements for some sort of auto transport, drive here or fly in and rent a car. Montana is big. And it's beautiful. Part of the fun (and the adventure) is driving from point to point here. GF to Ft. Benton for example. And you'll need to drive to your put in point, whether it's Coal Banks or any other spot. Most people are astounded at the lack of traffic. Many get an opportunity that they've rarely or never experienced before which is to drive on gravel roads! (And if you've been on gravel roads before you still might find these, well, a bit challenging at times.) It's all part of the adventure.
Buy a couple Patsy Cline and Hank Williams Sr. tapes or cds for your roadtrip. They're western classics and even if they sound strange at first, keep listening as you drive, they blend right in with the country. And a couple of books, Ambrose's Undaunted Courage is a best seller, try James Welch's Winter in the Blood for a book about what it's like to live on the Reservation...Let's see...bring a cooler, there's plenty of room on the boat for one (and you'll want one for your road trips anyway), it's a great way to pack your lunch and drinks in one container.
What else? Maps, you'll need a road map and the BLM sells a couple excellent river maps. You'll probably want a camera and lots of film. It's surprising how many people run short on film, so bring plenty. And speaking of film, Missouri Breaks would like to thank Milton Doles and Chuck Bell, two former MBRC customers, for the use of their fine photos on our web pages. All right, anything else now?
Ah yes, above all, your spirit of adventure and discovery!
Here are some links to other sites you may enjoy:
So you've studied the journals and other writings, given it some thought and, along with most other folks, you're convinced Meriwether Lewis committed suicide. Well, maybe. Maybe yes, maybe no. There are theories. There are conspiracies. And there are mysteries.
Frances Hunter's historical novel To The Ends Of The Earth--The last journey of Lewis & Clark is a mystery based on historical events and characters. It is 1809, St. Louis. James Wilkinson, commanding general of the U.S. Army, asks Meriwether Lewis to create an army and separate Louisiana Territory from the U.S. Lewis refuses, states it is treason, and tells Wilkinson he is going to expose him and his plot. Wilkinson responds with the counterthreat he will in turn reveal Lewis' financing of a private fur company (a classic conflict of interest) and says to Lewis 'it will be your word against mine--they'll think you're mad'. The Ends of the Earth then, is a story of intrigue, murder, treachery, fortune, treason of course, and Lewis' sanity.
Perhaps the best thing about the Hunter book is the humanizing of both Lewis & Clark. We read the men's biographies and come away with larger than life portraits. Both men are implacable, imperious even, resolute, unfaltering,
'bullet proof' epic heros of the making of the American West. It was not so after the Expedition, not at all. History proves that. They were only too human, and as such vulnerable and frail. Ms. Hunter shows the men's human sides--they cuss, fulminate, founder, question themselves and each other at times, question their government--they even have sex! Gadzooks! But through it all, they are dead loyal to one another.
If you have any interest in the Expedition you will like this book. It is engaging. You read a bit, scratch your head and put it down, then wonder, pick it back up and soon you are engrossed. It is fanciful, it is intriguing, it makes you pause and speculate, it makes you want to know more. (Check out James Wilkinson's bio on Wikipedia--an historical character definitely in a league of his own.) Within the Lewis & Clark genre there is nothing quite like this story. The book is available at Amazon, you can ask your favorite bookseller to order it or go on line to the website, and order it from there. It's a genuine Lewis & Clark mystery there is even an additional bit of mystery about author Frances Hunter herself. Here's the hotlink to Frances-Hunter.com The mystery is revealed on the website and we don't want to let the cats out of that bag, so take a look for yourself.
Montana Twilight A look at the ferries and people who operate them on the river--and if you come here you really do want to take a ride! The ferrymen/women will be happy to take you across and back. This is one you'll tell your grandchildren ..."I remember when they only had a ferry..." Lewis & Clark Archive A treasure trove for Lewis & Clark buffs. An archive listing of L&C related web sites compiled by Jay Rasmussen and Washington State University. You can get there (and to all the multiples of L&C sites) from here!
A link to Montana's official travel agency.