Near Lolo in Missoula County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

A Crossroads of Culture

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 10, 2018

1. A Crossroads of Culture Marker

Inscription. Native Travelers at Tmsmli
You are standing at the heart of a well-used campsite and gathering place used by people for thousands of years. Traveling along time-worn trails from the four directions, families, hunters and explorers came to rest here at the place the Salish people called Tmsmli, (the place of no salmon).
On these plains at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, people camped, traded and strengthened important alliances with other tribes. Over the years, people from the Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Nez Perce Tribes came to appreciate Tmsmli for its plentiful game, edible and medicinal plants and as a place of sanctuary and friendship.
From here, people traveling west followed tree blazes and rock piles called cairns which were part of the well-worn trail the Salish call Naptnsisa, or the Road to the Nez Perce. Today this ancient route is known as the Nez Perce or Lolo Trail. Rock cairns continued east of here, marking the route known by the Nez Perce as the K’useyneisskit or the Road to the Buffalo.

Led by a Shoshone guide, the Expedition came to rest here on September 9, 1805. As they prepared

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to cross the Bitterroot Mountains, Meriwether Lewis name this place "Travellers (sic) rest. On June 30, 1806, the Corps of Discovery returned to this important campsite and it was here the captains separated on July 3rd.

Erected by Montana State Parks, National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is June 30, 1806.

Location. 46° 45.156′ N, 114° 5.37′ W. Marker is near Lolo, Montana, in Missoula County. It can be reached from Lolo Creek Road (U.S. 12) near U.S. 93. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6717 Lolo Creek Road, Lolo MT 59847, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana,

in Glacier Country,

and in Greater Missoula.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 10, 2018

2. A Crossroads of Culture Marker

least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Travellers Rest (within shouting distance of this marker); The Journey Home (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Following Formation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Uncovering the Expedition (approx. ¼ mile away); The Lolo Trail (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lewis and Clark in Salish Territory (approx. 0.8 miles away); Bitterroot Valley, Homeland of the Selíš (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lewis and Clark on Lolo Creek (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lolo.

More about this marker. This marker is in Traveler's Rest State Park near the flagpoles.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 435 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 13, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.