Near Wolf Creek in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Welcome to Gates of the Mountains
Sieben Ranch and Hilger Hereford Ranch
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 24, 2026
1. Welcome to Gates of the Mountains Marker
Captions: (lower right) Ancient rock art in the Gates of the Mountains canyon depict humans with headdresses, deer-like figures, snakes, bear paw prints, human handprints and abstract images.; These ancient rock art sites are thought to have been used by shamans for spiritual rituals.
People have traveled through, visited and used these lands for thousands of years. As long as 7,000 B.C., humans walked this valley on the "Old North Trail," the primary north-south route through the Rockies. Pictographs in nearby canyons confirm that people came here in 600 B.C., and perhaps earlier, for spiritual "vision quests." The Shoshone, Flathead and Blackfeet tribes are known to have frequented this area for centuries in the course of their nomadic lifestyles. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through quickly, just a few days after leaving the upper portage camp on the edge of presence day Great Falls.
The
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"My father told me it originated in the migration of a great tribe of Indians from the distant north to the south and at the tribes have, ever since, continued to follow in their tracks... My father once told me of a Blackfoot expedition that went south by the Old Trail... It took them 12 moons of steady traveling to reach the county of the dark-skinned people, and 18 moons to come north again."
Bring-Down-th-Sun, Blackfeet spiritual leader, circa 1897
For more than eight thousand years before the passage of Lewis and Clark, people walked on the "Old North Trail" to travel through the Rocky Mountain region. Portions of the trail network near here were so worn down from persistent use that Captain William A. Clark noted the condition in his
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 24, 2026
2. Welcome to Gates of the Mountains Markers
Erected by Montana State University, Bozeman; Department of the Interior; Montana Stock Growers Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1805.
Location. 46° 49.183′ N, 111° 59.821′ W. Marker is near Wolf Creek, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It can be reached from Gates of the Mountains Road near Interstate 15. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wolf Creek MT 59648, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Montana, in Gold West Country and in Greater Helena. 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 least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Explorers, Prospectors & Ranchers (here, next to this marker); Shrewd Businessman, Caring Neighbor (here, next to this marker); Innovative Pioneer, Lasting Legacies (a few steps from this marker); Gates of the Mountains (approx. 2.3 miles away); Gates of the Mountain (approx. 5.7 miles away); Silver City Cemetery (approx. 10½ miles away); A Perfect Defile (approx. 10.6 miles away); The Montana Central Railroad (approx. 10.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wolf Creek.
Also see . . . The Old North Trail -- Old Trail Museum. "However, on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, much of the Old North Trail still exists in an undisturbed state for long stretches. Here along the Front, you can still walk along the same path the Blackfeet, Metís and other indigenous peoples used. You can see the travois ruts etched into the earth over centuries of usage... " (Submitted on October 17, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 3 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 17, 2026, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
