w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
21
I
HAVE A THEORY THAT LEWIS AND CLARK NEVER LEFT
MONTANA.
Of course they did leave our fair state, not yet a state
at the time. In fact, they left it twice in 1805, and once again
in August of 1806.
But they never really left.
To wit, ever since I was a kid and would get lost hiking
with a companion, I'd turn to the other person and say,
"Okay, Clark," or Lewis, if that person was being more of a
Lewis than a Clark, "Which way do we go now?"
But my recollections of the Lewis and Clark expedition are
from history books and interpretive centers. So I decided to
head out into people's backyards and breweries.
My first stop was at the home of Frank and Lois, who have
lived along the Dearborn River, a tributary of the Missouri,
since 1972. Their home sits beautifully along the banks of
the river. As I got out of the car, Frank came out of the ga-
rage, all smiles in his flannel shirt and suspenders, telling me
Lois was back from town. It felt like I knew them already, and
this was just one of our everyday visits.
article and photos by HALLIE ZOLYNSKI
They
Never
Left
LEWIS AND CLARK'S
TRAVELS THROUGH
THE HEARTS
OF MONTANANS
