Lemhi Mountain Pass (Lewis & Clark route)

This afternoon we drove to the Lemhi Pass, 7373 ft above sea level. It's a narrow gap in the Bitterroot Range, the backbone of America -- the Continental Divide. In August of 1805, Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) and a small advance party reach this most distant fountain of the mighty Missouri. They had hoped to find a river below to take them to the Pacific, but, lo and behold, in major disappointment, they beheld, in Lewis' words, "immense ranges of high mountains still to the west." Here's what they saw:
Pressing on to the west, they first tasted waters flowing to the Columbia River. Their woman Shoshone Indian guide, Sacajawea, gave birth just west of the pass. (Go to Google and look up Lewis and Clark mission to read of their incredible journey.)

On the way up to the pass, we came upon a stagecoach station used from 1869 until 1910. The small building where stagecoach workers stayed still stands, though is falling in. See it here:

We made it to the top of the pass and there had Rubye take our photo.

After a picnic lunch, walked down to the head water of a small creek that we are told is the beginning of the mighty Missouri River. Here we are standing at the head water of the creek. There is an aqua fir in the mountain that the sping trickles out of - unblievable that it is the mighty Missouri and that Lewis and Clark followed all the way to its beginning.