Preserving Travelers' Rest State Park

Travelers' Rest lies at an ancient crossroads of commerce and travel, near the present day intersection of two highways.  In 1960, the National Park Service created a National Historic Landmark (NHL) for Travelers' Rest because of its importance to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Several years later, the Park Service established boundaries for the NHL around the confluence of Lolo Creek and the Bitterroot River. By the late 1980's some Lewis and Clark scholars began to question that the area designated was actually the site of Travelers' Rest.

Separate research studies conducted by Robert Bergantino and Daniel Hall in the late 1990's indicated that a more likely location was about 1.5 miles up Lolo Creek from the Bitterroot River.  Their focus was a 15-acre parcel owned by Pat and Ernest Deschamps, who had run a small dairy farm there since the 1960's.  Discovery of a tombac button on an adjacent property fueled speculation that the site could be verified.  The button was manufactured in the 19th century and was the type used on military uniforms of the time.

On March 31, 2001, Travelers' Rest State Park was established after the Conservation Fund purchased the Deschamps property to protect it from encroaching residential growth and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department (FWP) accepted its ownership as public land. FWP lacked funds at that time to manage an additional State Park, so the  nonprofit Travelers Rest Preservation and Heritage Association  was incorporated in order to seek grants and donations to develop, operate and interpret the park in partnership with FWP.

Unique historical and archeological research by Mr. Hall and his team at Western Cultural, Inc. in 2002 validated and verified that the actual Travelers' Rest site had been preserved.  Working with the Travelers' Rest Preservation and Heritage Association (TRPHA), NTHP, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and Missoula County, Mr Hall petitioned the National Park Service to review their earlier work and consider moving the NHL boundaries to include Travelers' Rest State Park.

In March, 2006, after a lengthy review by the National Park Service and its' advisory committees, the Secretary of the Interior approved such a move, making Travelers' Rest the only Lewis and Clark campsite in the country where verified physical evidence has been discovered.  Despite the designation, all of the funding and management of the site remained with the nonprofit Travelers' Rest Preservation and Heritage Association.

In summer 2002, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) purchased an additional 10 acres on the north side of Lolo Creek and incorporated them into Travelers' Rest State Park.  A conservation easement on adjacent 10-acre parcel was donated by Bill and Ramona Holt in 2003.  Further purchases by FWP and TRPHA have brought the area of Travelers' Rest State Park to approximately 51 acres.  In 2005, a new entrance and visitor area opened with access from U.S. Highway 12.

As grant funds and donations driedupafter the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial ended in 2006, TRPHA found it necessary to ask FWP for a different partnership structure. A joint task force formulated a mutually supported agreement.  In the new model, FWP would seek funds from the State Legislature to take over day-to-day management of Travelers' Rest while TRPHA focused on providing quality, place-based programming and promoting Travelers' Rest State Park through outreach, public education and outreach.  This campaign to the 2009 legislature was actively supported by TRPHA and was successful – funding was allocated for the next 2 years.

On July 1, 2009, FWP began to manage Travelers' Rest as it does the more than 50 other State Parks within the Montana State Parks system.

The work, however, is not complete.  FWP has yet to secure funding to acquire the 12 acres from the Holts, so the Museum and Visitor Center is being leased while the partners try to finalize this land deal.  Additionally, the management funding for Travelers' Rest was designated as "One Time Only," meaning that when the Montana Legislature convenes in January, 2011, Travelers' Rest will be looking for funding again.

Travelers' Rest continues to be a model for cooperative management.  The success of this partnership could lead to similar arrangements at other Parks in Montana.