Billings, MT

Our drive today started with a little fog.  For a short time we drove through some more badlands, then grasslands for cattle and horses to graze, and then it got pretty flat but still lots of corn, hay and other crops growing.  On our way to Billings we made a stop to visit Pompeys Pillar, which is a massive sandstone outcrop that rises 150 feet from a two-acre base on the banks of the Yellowstone River.  The Pillar and about 50 surrounding acres became a national monument in January of 2001.  It is where William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) left his signature on the sandstone formation on July 25^th, 1806 on his return trip from the Pacific coast.  This is the only physical evidence ‘on site’ of the expedition.  In 1863 the leader of a gold prospecting party was the first to write down that he saw Clark’s signature.  In 1882 the Northern Pacific Railroad had an iron grating placed over the signature to protect it.  In 1954 the grating was replaced with the present brass and glass case.  Clark climbed the rock and from its top had an extensive view in every direction, seeing immense herds of buffalo, elk and wolves.  He named the formation Pompy’s Tower, after the son of Charbonneau and Sacagawea, Jean Baptiste.  The boy had been born 17 months earlier at Fort Mandan.  Clark had given the boy the nickname, “Pomp” which mean “little chief” in Shoshoni.  It was renamed Pompeys Pillar in 1814 when the journals of Lewis and Clark were published.  We climbed 100 steps to see the original signature.  There was a replica in the visitor’s center for those who couldn’t climb the boardwalk. 

The next day we visited Pictograph Cave State Park.  After stopping in the visitor’s center we headed to the trail.  The area and its caves, or rock overhangs, once were the living quarters of prehistoric hunters and gatherers.  The lush and fertile valley of the Yellowstone River was a travel corridor for ancient cultures, just as it is today.  The southerly exposure of the caves provided shelter from the weather and effectively caught afternoon warmth from the sun.  Here was the utopia of all campsites…..abundant food, plenty of water, and excellent shelter. 

The cave was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1964.  The State Parks Division took over in 1969.  Caves were formed by erosion, the process of weathering by wind, water and temperature around large boulder-like concretions.  Water runs over the drainages and helps to carve out the existing caves.  Some of the moisture seeps under the overhang, through cracks or rock layers, and gradually erodes the sandstone at the rear of the cave.  The cave size increases over time.

Pictographs are painted images.  Pigments used for paint included berry and plant juices, charcoal and earth pigments.  Most were painted in red or black.  They differ from petroglyphs, which are carved or pecked into the rock surface.  Together they are referred to as rock art.  Not only were the caves used as living places, but the protected rock walls were also used to record meaningful events and spiritual topics.