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Feature Program of the Month

Pompeys Pillar - A Stopover for Native Americans, Explorers, Trappers and Soldiers

Every spring, before the school year ends, thousands of students from grades K-8 take field trips to Pompeys Pillar, the National Historic Landmark 28 miles east of Billings, Montana, on Interstate 94. Located on the banks of the scenic Yellowstone River, Pompeys Pillar is like a sandstone history book. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, seeking a water route to the Pacific Ocean, camped at the Pompeys Pillar site; on July 25, 1806, Captain William Clark carved his name and date into the Pillar's sandstone surface. His "remarkable rock" also bears historical Native American drawings, as well as the dates of hunting parties and other rendezvous. Captain Clark originally named this rock Pompey's Tower. "Pompey" was Clark's nickname for the young son of Sacagawea, the expedition party's interpreter.

"Where the Mountain Lion Lies" is what the Crow Indians called Pompeys Pillar. It was a landmark to these proud people, as well as a productive hunting area for buffalo and small game. Captain Clark's original journal entry described it as "...a remarkable rock on the Starb. side of the river and 250 paces from it. This rock I ascended and from its top had the most extensive view in every direction. The rock which I shall call Pompey's Tower is 200 feet high and 400 paces in secumpherance...The nativs have ingraved on the face of this rock the figures of animals etc. near which I marked my name and day of month and year..."

Classes of students meet at the Pillar site and participate in educational "stations" covering: 1) history of the site and the Lewis and Clark Expedition party; 2) vegetation of the area, and the geology and surface strata of the valley, namely the Hell Creek Sandstone, which makes up the Pillar itself; 3) wildlife and birds, which are prevalent year-round; and 4) music of the area, including that of the prominent Crow Tribe. The tour takes about 3 hours, and usually includes a sack lunch picnic in the park area. Sometimes, Scout groups make the outing into an overnight camping adventure.

Students learn about the various grasses and trees, which attract many species of birds and animals. Pompeys Pillar Interpretive Association volunteers give educational talks about the plant varieties that are present. Students are fascinated by the area's geology. The uppermost rock layer is the Fort Union Formation. The Yellowstone River nearby has existed for about 20 million years. Pieces of petrified wood and stones from earlier periods are mixed with the river's gravel.

Wildlife roams the countryside much as it did when Captain Clark traveled the area; deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, and beaver predominate. There are over 190 bird species in and around the area, from the majestic bald eagle to the tiny mountain chickadee. Shown here, Mary Anne Elmer, an educator with the Wild Bird Rescue organization, displays a great horned owl. Wild Bird Rescue is a privately-funded group dedicated to providing medical care and rehabilitation to injured and orphaned wild birds in central Montana.

Students enjoy a rare visit from "Trapper Bob" or "Sacagawea" during the tour. This outdoor classroom, where "crossroads, past and present are preserved," usually proves to be very popular. After Canyon Creek School (students shown in photos) visited on May 13, 1997, the class donated $400 to the Pompeys Pillar Visitor Center. Students sold bedding plants to raise the money.

The Pillar is also a very popular, scenic spot where thousands of tourists stop each year from May through September.

For more environmental education information about this area, please contact Lorrene Schardt of BLM's Montana State Office at (406)255-2827. For tourist information about the Pillar, please contact Dick Kodeski of BLM's Billings Resource Area at (406)238-1541.

Photo credits: Greg Albright, BLM

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