Missouri Headwaters State Park

Missouri Headwaters State Park

Within the boundaries of this scenic park, the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers merge to form the 2,300-mile Missouri River. The Missouri Headwaters area was a geographical focal point important to early native Americans, trappers, traders, and settlers. Coveting the regions bountiful resources, the Flathead, Bannock, and Shoshoni Indians competed for control of the area, as did the trappers and settlers who followed.

Considering it an essential point in the geography of this western part of the continent, Meriwether Lewis wrote, “the country opens suddenly to extensive and beautiful plains and meadows, which appear to be surrounded in every direction with distant and lofty mountains.” The legendary Sacagawea was captured here as a child and eventually returned as a member of the Corps of Discovery. In 1808, John Colter, a member of the earlier Lewis and Clark Expedition and discoverer of Yellowstone National Park made several trips to this area in search of beaver furs.

Colter along with a fellow trapper, Potts, encountered a band of Blackfeet Indians while trapping on the Jefferson River. The Indian party of 600 warriors killed Potts and took Colter hostage. For sport, the war party forced Colter to run naked across the prairie towards the Madison River as they pursued him. Given a head start, Colter did manage to outrun all but one warrior. The exhausted Blackfoot warrior tripped and threw his spear, missing Colter.

Colter grabbed the weapon and killed his pursuer. He then dove into the Madison River and hide under a raft of driftwood until the Blackfeet gave up theri search. Eleven days later a half dead Colter staggered into Fort Lisa on the Bighorn River. Dispite the harrowing experience of Colter, pioneers slowly settled the surrounding area and transformed it into profitable grazing and farming land.