POMPEYS PILLAR NATIONAL MONUMENT INTERPRETIVE CENTER

The Pompeys Pillar Interpretive Center opened in 2006. Exhibits in the 5,700-square foot center relate the journey of Captain William Clark and his detachment, including Sacagawea and her son Pomp, down the Yellowstone River Valley in 1806. The center also addresses native culture, flora and fauna, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the historical legacy of Pompeys Pillar through the changes of the 1800s. A number of J.K. Ralston paintings and sketches are on permanent display.

The Friends of Pompeys Pillar have worked closely with BLM in the acquisition, operation and development of this site. It has also raised funds to match a congressional appropriation for the construction of the center, and it has helped staff the center and bookstore/gift shop and provide interpretive tours for visitors.

The BLM purchased Pompeys Pillar in 1991 for its historic significance and its interpretive and recreational potential. The Ralston works were acquired with the property. In 1992, the BLM constructed limited facilities for the protection of resources and the comfort and safety of visitors. Facilities included a small log contact station and a stairway to Clark’s signature and the top of the Pillar.  Additional improvements, consisting of a paved one-half mile entrance road and parking lot, entrance station, over one-quarter mile of walkways, and an amphitheater were completed in 2007.  The additional improvements were funded by BLM, the Friends of Pompeys Pillar, the Department of Transportation, Yellowstone County, and the National Park Service.