Historical Markers and War Memorials in Three Forks, Montana
Bozeman is the county seat for Gallatin County
Three Forks is in Gallatin County
Gallatin County(129) ► ADJACENT TO GALLATIN COUNTY Broadwater County(11) ► Jefferson County(19) ► Madison County(125) ► Meagher County(4) ► Park County(68) ► Fremont County, Idaho(20) ► Park County, Wyoming(196) ► Teton County, Wyoming(83) ►
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John Quincy Adams of the Milwaukee Land Company, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, platted the present town of Three Forks in 1908. Unlike most railroad officials, Adams and his son, B. S. Adams, took an unusual personal . . . — — Map (db m192664) HM
Aviation captivated America during the 1920s, particularly when Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic in 1927. The United States made rapid strides and airfields opened all over the country. The town of Belgrade constructed Gallatin . . . — — Map (db m206125) HM
One of Montana’s most amazing historical events occurred near here in 1809. In
September of that year, John Colter and John Potts, former Lewis and Clark Expedition
members, were trapping beaver on the Jefferson River near the headwaters when a . . . — — Map (db m98317) HM
The Headwaters Region was the setting for the legend of
Colter’s Run
1808
In the fall of 1808 John Colter and John Potts,
both former members of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition, were trapping on the Jefferson
River. Angered by previous . . . — — Map (db m98438) HM
The Headwater's Region was the setting for the legend of ... Colter's Run 1808
In the fall of 1808 John Colter and John Potts, both former members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, were trapping up the Jefferson River. Angered . . . — — Map (db m192790) HM
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, England, France and Spain competed in the search for a water route across North America. Explorers such as DeSoto, La Salle and de la Verendrye believed that the Mississippi-Missouri was the fabled Northwest . . . — — Map (db m192728) HM
The Headwaters drew many trappers because of its large beaver population.
Lewis and Clark had barely returned to the East when, spurred by their reports of vast numbers of beaver, Manuel Lisa formed the Missouri Fur Company. . . . — — Map (db m192729) HM
The original townsite of Gallatin City, north of here on the
west side of the combined Madison and Jefferson Rivers,
was selected in 1862. In Feb., 1863 sixty cabins were being
constructed. The river was forded when it was low and a
ferry was . . . — — Map (db m127042) HM
Built by Jarvis Akin, the Hotel was originally a one-room building of hand-hewn logs. It was the center of Gallatin City's social life; travelers sometimes complained of not being able to sleep because of the ruckus. As the town died, the Hotel was . . . — — Map (db m127043) HM
George Drouillard, the son of a Shawnee mother and French-Canadian father, was one of the most valued members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Meriwether Lewis noted in a letter to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn that Drouillard was "a man of much . . . — — Map (db m206126) HM
(Three panels are located at the Three Forks Chamber of Commerce kiosk:)
Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Sites Along this Portion of the Missouri River Valley
Crimson Blufffs
July 24, 1895 (Lewis Journal) . . . — — Map (db m192877) HM
In Patriotic Memory of
Sacajawea
an Indian woman whose heroic courage
steadfast devotion and splendid loyalty
in acting as guide across the Rocky Mountains
made it possible for the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
1804 - . . . — — Map (db m98495) HM
“The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such
principle stream of it, as, by its course & communication with the
waters of the Pacific ocean… may offer the most direct & practicable
water communication across . . . — — Map (db m99217) HM
Lewis and Clark explored the Missouri River in search of the "Northwest Passage."
"The object of your mission" wrote President Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark "is to explore the Missouri River and such principal . . . — — Map (db m192786) HM
You are standing at the headwaters of the great Missouri River. The Jefferson and Madison Rivers converge with the Gallatin joining one mile downstream to become the Missouri River. Here, the famed explorers accomplished a major goal of their . . . — — Map (db m73542) HM
The Missouri and Mississippi drainage determined the boundaries of the ... Louisiana Purchase.
The acquisition, as well as the expiration, of the Mississippi-Missouri by the white man was carried out against a background of European . . . — — Map (db m192732) HM
The Milwaukee Land Company, a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road, established the town of Three Forks in 1908. Company land agent John Q. Adams chose this townsite and held a lot sale in 1908. Buyers came by the trainload, purchasing 250 lots. . . . — — Map (db m192666) HM
Approx.. 2 miles north on the Trident Road (#286) is the
confluence of the Jefferson and Madison Rivers. A mile
further downstream you can view the Gallatin River
merging to form the headwaters of the Missouri River, the
longest U.S. river. . . . — — Map (db m99206) HM
The Headwaters has been populated for over 11,000 years
The Headwaters region was occupied for more than 11,000 years by bands of hunter and gatherers. Ample big game such as bison, elk and deer, and the abundant natural rock for tool . . . — — Map (db m192724) HM
A native of Three Forks, Montana, born March 16, 1922, Dean Porgerba loved to fly airplanes, especially single engine jets. Dean was a veteran of W.W. II and the Korean War. In his country's third conflict, his plane was shot down over the North . . . — — Map (db m206124) HM WM
The town of Three Forks, born to serve as a division point for the Chicago, St. Paul, and Milwaukee Railway, took root in 1908. As the town grew to a sizable settlement of 2,300, the Empire Theatre opened to serve local audiences. Manager David R. . . . — — Map (db m192662) HM
This statue was erected to commemorate Sacajawea and the Bicentennial of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition of 1803- 1806. She was a member of the Corps of Discovery and was invaluable as an interpreter in obtaining horses from her Shoshone people, . . . — — Map (db m98496) HM
Familiar with the Headwaters area, Sacajawea was invaluable as an interpreter for Lewis and Clark.
In 1800, Sacajawea was camped on the Jefferson River with her Shoshone tribe. Attacked by a band of Minnetarees, she was captured and . . . — — Map (db m192793) HM
Arrival of the Milwaukee Railroad caused Three Forks to move (1908-1910) one mile up the Missouri River from its 1863 townsite, as happened with many sister towns in the developing West. Milwaukee Railroad purchasing agent John Q. Adams saw need for . . . — — Map (db m141722) HM
In front of you is the site of Gallatin City, 1865-1880's. After it became obvious that steamboats could not operate economically from Fort Benton to the Headwaters, the town was relocated from the north side of the river to this location. Sitting . . . — — Map (db m126990) HM
"The Nisei bought an awful big hunk of America with their blood." - General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell
''You fought the enemy abroad and prejudice at home and you won." - President Harry Truman, July 1946
This memorial is to recognize . . . — — Map (db m192723) HM WM
Clad in buckskin, the trapper carried with him his knives, gunpowder and lead. a Hawken rifle, perhaps a pipe and a book. Except for flour and salt, he lived entirely off the land. He did his trapping in the spring and fall. During the summer, . . . — — Map (db m192788) HM
Log cabins were introduced to North America by the Swedes and Germans.
Because they were easy to build and made use of readily available materials, log cabins became the most common building on the frontier.
This cabin has dovetail notches and . . . — — Map (db m127044) HM
Many nations traveled and lived along these banks, giving their own names to
the river. “Missouri” is the official name given by the U.S. Geological Survey. It
dates back to French explorer Jacques Marquette’s journal and 1673 map of . . . — — Map (db m99215) HM
This region was alive with beaver, otter and game before the white man came. It was disputed hunting territory with the Indian tribes. Sacajawea, the Shoshone squaw who guided portions of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was captured near here when a . . . — — Map (db m126978) HM
On their upstream journey in 1805, Lewis and Clark traveled through this area in two groups. On his return journey in 1806, Clark's group passed through the Headwaters area on their way to the Yellowstone River.
Sites depicted on this map . . . — — Map (db m206117) HM
The Thomas-Frederick Mill was one of two built in the Gallatin Valley during the 1860’s to process locally-grown grains and to guarantee a reliable supply of flour and meal.
Flour from here was freighted regularly to the gold camps of Helena, . . . — — Map (db m127045) HM
Easy river access and large numbers of beaver made the Headwaters a logical place for the ... Three Forks Post - 1810
In 1810, Manuel Lisa of the Missouri Fur Co. sent a large party of 32 trappers under command of Pierre Menard . . . — — Map (db m192792) HM
Solid bank buildings were designed to assure customers that their money was safe from both theft and bank failure—a tenuous premise in the days before Federal Deposit Insurance. Here Romanesque arches, rusticated sandstone, thick masonry walls, and . . . — — Map (db m192663) HM
From 38 to 30 million years ago, great herds of rhinoceros-like herbivores, called Megacerops, roamed this part of Montana. Megacerops, also known as Brontotheres, were massive animals. Classified as Perissodactyla, Megacerops had three . . . — — Map (db m213356) HM
In 1908 construction began on Montana’s first cement manufacturing facility. In May 1910, the first cement was shipped to a hardware store in Missoula, Montana. The company-owned village of Trident was built before the plant was completed and at . . . — — Map (db m126996) HM
Dedicated to all the men and women
of the Headwaters Area, who gave of themselves
while serving in our armed forces
in times of war and peace — — Map (db m98451) WM
The Montana soil is swallowing hundreds of old homestead buildings like this one. Each takes with it untold stories of men and women whose lives brought them drought and blizzards, loneliness and companionship, fear and simple joys, much like we . . . — — Map (db m127000) HM
