Alice Creek Historic District

Quick Facts

Location:

Montana

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

MANAGED BY:

Helena National Forest

Amenities

3 listed

Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

Alice Creek Historic District is a High Potential Historic Site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

After departing Travellers Rest on the return journey, Lewis and his detachment followed the Cokahlarishkit Trail, or “Road to the Buffalo,” to cross the Continental Divide. The trail, which had been identified to Lewis and Clark by the Nez Perce, had long been an established transportation corridor for American Indians. On July 7, 1806, they passed through the Alice Creek drainage. Lewis described “much appearance of beaver many dams” and noted that the “bottoms not wide and covered with low willow and grass.” They continued “up the same creek on the east side through a handsome narrow plain” and across “the dividing ridge be­twen the waters of the Columbia and Missouri rivers.” Looking east, Lewis recognized the familiar landmark of “Fort Mountain” (Square Butte), and estimated it to be “distant about 20 Miles.”

Located within the Helena National Forest, the Alice Creek Historic District still evokes the 1806 landscape experienced by Lewis despite minimal impacts from cattle grazing. Remnants of the Cokahlarishkit Trail remain intact, with features such as rock cairns, marked trees, and travois ruts. The historic district encom­passes both public and private lands. While public access is restricted from the privately owned portions, visitors are afforded a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities within the national forest property. It includes a hiking trail to Lewis and Clark Pass and the Continental Divide Trail.