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This log is current through September 4, 2006
He was enroute back to the United States when he “signed” the rock. Had he not done so, there would be no remaining physical evidence from the Corps of Discovery’s great journey to the Pacific. He named the rock after Sacagawea’s son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who Clark had nicknamed “Pomp.” The first editor of Lewis and Clark’s journals changed it to Pompey’s Pillar. A major commemoration of the stone was underway when we arrived, 200 years after the carving. Participating were Indians representing several Tribes, and some were descendants of Pompey’s Pillar is 25 miles east of Billings, Montana, along the Yellowstone River, which Colonel Clark explored. Nearby are several Indian reservations where people of all ages know of their ancestor’s role in history. Although their cooperation was critical for the expedition’s success, it is also known that Crow Indians stole 24 of Clark’s 50 horses, the night before arriving at this rock. The 670-mile Yellowstone River begins at the lake in Yellowstone Park and continues East and then Northeast in Montana until it joins the Missouri River near the Montana-North Dakota border. It is the longest river in America without a dam. Clark’s signature on the rock was not discovered until 1863, We are proud of our heritage in the old west, as were the people commemorating the history of Pompeys Pillar National Monument July 25. As another note of historic interest, Sacagawea and her son “Pomp” later befriended a man named Finn Sacagawea died in 1884 on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, at age 94. We have traveled in many of the world’s countries, but have only now come to realize the fascinating nature of some of our own heritage in western America. Don’s mother was born near the Yellowstone River, in Big Timber. Her parents lived on a ranch on the Yellowstone, at Greycliff. Don and his father were both born on the banks In late July we continued across North Dakota and into Minnesota, where historical fact was set aside in favor of the tall tale of Paul Bunyan. The French Canadians gave birth to such fables, and this physical example of it lay on our route to the tiny village of Emily. There, on Trout Lake, Becky and a group of her University of South Dakota Kappa Alpha Theta sorority “sisters” gathered to celebrate their birthdays. It was a cardinal year for each of them, although Don’s request to publish the exact number has thus far been ignored. If everyone had friends as close as these women, the world would be a better place! They partied, laughed, sang, danced -- and occasionally sipped from the keg of Red Lodge Ale we brought from Montana. (Photo: Becky on left, with We find it both interesting and heartening that people who befriended each other so many years ago, and who have chosen their own paths in life since, have remained close to each other across the miles and the years. This, we think, is rather unusual. Many people maintain friendships, but this particular group of women are so uniquely bonded in friendship, care and concern that, to borrow an overused political phrase, they really do feel each other’s pain and joy. The celebration began July 25 and continued through the end of the month. Some brought their children, a few their husbands, all brought memories to share. As we travel at home and abroad, we find ourselves reminded that true friendship is one of the most important and valuable human traits and possessions. If only the world’s warring factions could come to embrace it.
Photo: Lisa from Vermillion, SD; Becky from Red Lodge, MT; Lisa from Selby, SD; Stephanie from Gregory, SD; Jodi from Sioux Falls, SD; Monica from Minnetonka, MN; Kathy from Watertown, SD; and Lori, our host, from Winthrop, MN. August 1, 2006 in Red Lodge August 6, 2006: (Photo: festival bagpiper) Celtic dancers and Bagpipers were followed by the Zagnut/Greek Dancers and the Zagnut Orkestar. A group called “Four Shillings Short” was followed by Japanese dancers and the Natali Italian Dancers, not to overlook the Ukrainian Dancers Stepovi or a group called Tajamuul. Those with stamina remaining hoofed it down to the “Bull & Bear” bar ballroom for an after-hours dance by the “Smilin’ Scandinavians.” There were music workshops and drumming lessons through the weekend. One performance of special note was by the Ukrainian Dancers Stepovi from Dickinson, North Dakota -- a terrific group who put on a terrific show.
This is the fastest growing town in Montana, percentage wise. In only five years the population doubled, to 83. Now that Don is a member of the Alte Kameraden band in Red Lodge, he joined the group in celebration of Bearcreek’s centennial, seven miles to the east. The town once had 2,000 people, but Montana’s worst mine disaster killed 74 men in 1943 and the coal mining finally fizzled out in the 1970’s. Today, a few rusted buildings at the nearby Smith Mine are all that remain of the industry, and the hopes and dreams of families who flocked here decades ago. Still, it was heartening to see people who graduated from Bearcreek High School more than a half-century ago gathered to celebrate the survival of their little town. Temp end |
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July 25, 2006 on the banks of the Yellowstone River at Pompey’s Pillar, Montana
Today, the tower is a National Monument and it is possible to clearly see Clark’s signature on a stone face about halfway to the top of the 150-foot tower.
those encountering the famous expedition.
when a gold prospector came across it. Today, it is the focus of much attention and a key factor in the region’s history. It had been there eighty three years when Don’s grandfather arrived in the region in 1889. Herman Utermohle married Don’s grandmother, Florence Bradshaw, in Red Lodge in 1917. 
Burnett in Wyoming. Burnett was the great-grandfather of Senator Al Simpson, whose biography Don continues to draft. Burnett reported that Sacagawea was fascinated by the fact that when ground, golden grain became white flour.
of the Yellowstone, in Sidney.
friend Lori, celebrate their reunion dancing and singing on the shore of Trout Lake).
he is practicing his trumpet in preparation.
Don, the newest member of the oldest and only continuously functioning authentic Finnish band in the United States, played trumpet in the opening ceremonies of the Red Lodge Festival of Nations. The band
is called Alte Kameraden (old friends).
August 12, 2006 in Bearcreek, MT
It was the 100th birthday of the old mining town called Bearcreek. That’s where you’ll usually find the pig races -- but on this day, a pig roast!