Bozeman Trail

Bozeman Trail. . , The Bozeman Trail was located ten miles south of here. John Bozeman pioneered the trail in this area in July 1864. After crossing the Bighorn River eight miles below the opening of the Bighorn Canyon, he led his wagon train northwest to the Yellowstone River opposite present day Billings. He then attempted to proceed up the south side of the Yellowstone, but the steep bluffs lining the bank forced him to turn south away from the river. Leaving the Yellowstone, he went up the west side of Clarks Fork and then Rock Creek to where he intersected the Bridger Trail a mile northeast of Joliet. Jim Bridger's first wagon train over his trail had crossed Rock Creek three weeks earlier., Bozeman's roundabout route was the original Bozeman Trail. James A. Sawyers opened a cutoff trail in August 1866. It ran from the recently established Fort C.F. Smith to the Clarks Fork. Sawyers' trail crossed the Clarks Fork at present Edgar, where he intersected the Bridger Trail and followed it 6 miles west to the Rock Creek crossing. On the west side of the crossing, Sawyer's route joined Bozeman's. From that point west to Gallatin Valley, the Bozeman Trail followed the Bridger Trail with only a few miner deviations.