SALMON AREA HISTORY

The beautiful and breathtaking Lemhi valley. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition left St. Louis, Missouri in hopes of finding passage to the Pacific Ocean. On August 12, 1805 four members of the expedition including Lewis advanced the remainder of the expedition and descended the Continental Divide over Lemhi Pass and into the Lemhi valley. At that time, this land was the southern interior of Columbia and was believed to be unknown and unclaimed territory to white men. Near what is known today as Tendoy, Idaho and lying at the bottom of Agency creek, this area turned out to be critical in the success of the Expedition.

Unbeknownst to the advanced party, they were entering the homeland of the Lemhi-Shoshone Indians, and the birthplace of their guide and interpreter, Sacajawea. In 1800, at the age of 11 years, the Hidatsa tribe raided a winter Shoshone camp, near what is now Three Forks, Montana, and Sacajawea was kidnapped. She was taken east to the Hidatsa village, along the banks of the Missouri River, in current day South Dakota. There she was eventually sold to a French trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, who moved her upriver to the Mandan village.

Lewis and Clark arrived at the Mandan village in the fall of 1804 and spent the winter there. Shortly after their arrival, at the age of 16, Sacajawea gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. In the mean time her husband, Charbonneau, was hired by the expedition to lead the party west and act as an interpreter. At his request, Sacajawea and Jean Baptiste joined the expedition and in April the expedition headed for the Pacific.

When the expedition arrived in the Big Hole valley, the advanced party, the first to cross the Divide and meet the Lemhi-Shoshone, was able to obtain help from the Lemhi-Shoshone. The Indians offered their assistance and their horses in going back to the Big Hole and move the expedition’s supplies across the Divide and to the Salmon River. While Lewis and the expedition were taking their supplies into the Lemhi valley, Clark and a few others went ahead to see if the expedition would be able to navigate the Salmon River. He did not have to travel too far to soon recognize that a passage down the river would be impossible. The party would instead have to travel by land. To make the remainder of their journey possible, they were able to obtain horses from the Lemhi-Shoshone. The Lemhi-Shoshone also offered a guide to get them there and by November 13 th, 1805 they had traveled some 100 miles out of Lemhi county to reach the Lolo Trail.

For more historical information go to Lemhi County Historical Museum.

CULTURAL AND HERITAGE SITES

VISITOR CENTER

Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural & Education Center, 1 mile E. of Hwy. 93 & 28 intersection on Hwy. 28. Phone: (208) 756-1188. Angie Hurley, Administrator.

Architecture and Historic Buildings

The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 204 Courthouse Dr., Salmon, (208) 756-3720.

The Socrates A. Myers house, contact SVCC (208) 756-2100.

Salmon I.O.O.F. Lodge, Main St., Salmon, contact SVCC (208) 756-2100

Salmon Historical Society has put out a brochure for a walking tour of 18 historical buildings.       Available @ Salmon Valley Chamber of Commerce, 200 Main St., (208) 756-2100.

Historical Markers, Many Historical Markers are found along the Hwy 93 corridor, the Salmon River Canyon (below North Fork), and along Hwy. 28. Contact the SVCC (208) 756-2100.

Indian Sites

Shoshone Encampment - near Kenny Creek (Tendoy area on the Lemhi River) where the Lewis & Clark expedition met with the Shoshones on August 13, 1805.

Nez Perce encampment - near present day Leadore on their flight from the Big Hole Battle to the Bear

Paw Mountains -(where the Nez Perce were defeated in their flight to Canada), August 13, 1877.

Chief Tendoy’s Grave, near Tendoy, Contact Viola Anglin at Tendoy Store (208) 756-2263.

Mines - There are numerous old mining towns in the valley. Contact Salmon-Challis National Forest (208) 756-5100 or the SVCC (208) 756-2100.

Museums

Lemhi County Historical Museum, 210 Main St., Salmon, (208) 756-3342.

Other points of historical interest:

Lewis & Clark Trail

A significant portion of the Lewis & Clark Trail crosses Lemhi County. It was here that the expedition crossed the Continental Divide searching for a water route to the Pacific. Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian woman on the expedition, was born here and recognized her brother when Lewis & Clark were negotiating for trade for horses . Contact the Salmon Bureau of Land management (208) 756-5400, the Salmon-Challis National Forest (208) 756-5100, or the SVCC (208) 756-2100.

A part of the Southern Nez Perce Trail is in Lemhi County. Contact the Salmon-Challis National Forest at (208) 756-5100.

A portion of the Nez Perce National Historic Trail enters Lemhi County near the town of Leadore, (& East & South of Leadore). Contact the Salmon-Challis National Forest at (208) 756-5100 or the SVCC (208) 756-2100.

Pioneer Settlement

Fort Lemhi, 17 miles South of Salmon, off Hwy 28. Contact SVCC (208) 756-2100.