Pompey's Pillar

What is Pompey’s Pillar you might ask – I did. It is a bluff on the Yellowstone River a little east of Billings, MT. Capt. Wm. Clark, of Lewis & Clark fame, explored the Yellowstone River on his way back to St. Louis. Capt. Meriwether Lewis was busy looking for a more northern pass across the Rockies and running into Blackfeet Indians. Anyway, Clark saw this pillar of stone alongside the river and decided to climb it and see what he could see. He could see a long way in every direction. While he was climbing he decided that since the Indians had already defaced the rock with drawings, paintings and such that he should put his name on it also. It is the only permanent marker of Lewis & Clark’s trip. Oh yes, and why did Clark call it Pompey’s Pillar? He named it for Sacagawea’s son whose nickname was Pompe.

Park mammal count: 4 – deer, chipmunk, big horn sheep, mountain goat
Trip mammal count: 7 - deer, moose, chipmunk, big horn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, rabbit

Dollars saved with Park Pass: $32.00 ($25 @ Glacier, $7 @ Pompey’s Pillar)