Near Fort Peck in Valley County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Peculiar White Water Named the Milk River

Lewis and Clark at the Milk River

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, February 1, 2011

1. Peculiar White Water Named the Milk River Marker

Caption: (upper left) Milk River entering the Missouri River.

Inscription. Look slightly to your left at the end of Fort Peck Lake to find the highest hill in this area, today called Signal Hill. It was near this area that Captain William Clark first viewed and named the Milk River as it enters the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark concluded correctly that this was the same river the Hidatsa Indians at Fort Mandan referred to as the "River Which Scolds at All Others". Imagine how like an oasis in the middle of the prairie these two converging rivers must have seemed!

"The water of this river possesses a peculiar whiteness, being about the colour of a cup of tea with the admixture of a tablespoonfull of milk. from the colour of it's water we called it Milk river... Capt Clark who walked this morning on the Lard. shore ascended a very high point opposite to the mouth of this river; he informed me that he had a perfect view of this river and the country through which it passed... Captain M. Lewis, Wednesday, May 8, 1805

Scientific Discovery: White Apple, (Psoralea esculent) (Indian Bread Root)
"The white apple is found in great abundance in this neighbourhood,,, our epicures would admire
Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online
this root very much, it would serve them in their ragouts and gravies in stead of the truffles morella." Captain M. Lewis, Wednesday, May 8, 1805

Erected by Travel Montana, Dept. of Commerce, Montana's Missouri River Country, Galsgow Chamber of Commerce, Army Corps of Engineers.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lewis & Clark Expedition series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 8, 1805.

Location. 48° 0.573′ N, 106° 23.368′ W. Marker is near Fort Peck, Montana, in Valley County. It is on Highway 24 near Yager Road, on the right when traveling east. This marker is located at the Lewis & Clark Overlook. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5473 Montana Highway 24, Fort Peck MT 59223, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Missouri River Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, February 1, 2011

2. Peculiar White Water Named the Milk River Marker

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 least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Summits of High Hills Were Covered with Pine (here, next to this marker); With No Running Water the Stream was called Big Dry River (here, next to this marker); Lewis & Clark in Missouri River Country (within shouting distance of this marker); The Slide of '38 (approx. half a mile away); Fort Peck Dam (approx. half a mile away); Built with Muscle and Muck (approx. half a mile away); In Memory (approx. half a mile away); Boomtowns on the Outskirts (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Peck.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 26, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 26, 2024, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.