Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 15 In an effort to pay homage to the bison and the people who hon- ored them, First People's Buffalo Jump was designated a state park in 1972. Formerly known as Ulm Pishkun State Park, the word "pish- kun" comes from a Blackfeet Indian word that loosely translates as "deep blood kettle." In 1999 the park expanded with the completion of a 6,000-square- foot visitor center. The goal of the center is to tell the story of the historic site from the Native American perspective. The center offers visitors bison culture exhibits, a storytelling circle, state-of- the-art classroom, gallery, bookstore, and an outdoor amphitheater. Special education events are also held throughout the year. LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS STATE PARK 19 MILES WEST OF THREE FORKS Located deep within the Tobacco Root Mountains of southwestern Montana hides one of the state's most amazing geological wonders. Created as Montana's first state park in 1935, Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park showcases one of the most highly decorated limestone caverns in the northwest. While Native Americans were long familiar with the caverns, the first non-Native Americans to discover the caverns were Charles Brooke and Mexican John in 1882. Years later, prospector Dan Morrison, developed the first public tours of the caverns. But it was the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s that transformed the caverns into the viable state park it is today. To fully experience the wonders below, take a classic cave tour. Naturally air-conditioned, the caves are lined with stalactites, sta- lagmites, columns, and helictites. Formed from centuries of acidic water chemically reacting with limestone, the haunting geological formations provide astounding visuals and have earned nicknames like "Romeo and Juliet," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and cave "food" names like bacon and popcorn. Kids especially enjoy the tour's famous "Beaver Slide" and the occasional sighting of the resident bats napping the daylight hours away. For those with physical limitations, a modified version of the full tour is available and allows visitors to see the Paradise Room, the largest, most active and decorated portion of the cave. If your sum- mer schedule is too packed to visit the caverns during the summer, the park offers special holiday candlelight tours during the last two weekends in December. Guided cave tours last about two hours but the rest of the 3,034 acre park is yours to explore. There are 10 miles of hiking trails, a 40-space campground, three camping cabins, picnic tables, flush and vault toilets, showers, group use area, drinking water, and a food/beverage and gift concession. 5 LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS STATE PARK Created as Montana' s first state park in 1935, LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERNS STATE PARK SHOWCASES ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY DECORATED LIMESTONE CAVERNS IN THE NORTHWEST.

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