The Yellowstone River Was the Route of the Pioneers.
"[Now we follow the Yellowstone Valley right across Montana.]"
, MT. As any alert land traveler (and history buff) soon discover, river valleys generally provide an easier passage for nearly all modes of travel as well as road construction. Rivers and streams often allow boat navigation and sometimes the first ways into and through a new territory. These facts were important for early explorers and settlers. Additionally valleys, compared to the surrounding terrain, are more favorable to agriculture. For these reasons roads and then towns become established in valleys such as the Yellowstone Valley. The Narrator’s goal was Bozeman, MT, so we should not be surprising that the ZMM Route follows for 160 miles fairly close to a river, the Yellowstone. It is also not surprising that this river was also traveled by Captain Merriwether Clark. So both t Narrator and Lewis and Clark traveled West through this area Montana. Basically the facts of geography, given above, lead/constrained the ZMM Route so that it repeatedly encounters Lewis and Clark Landmarks as you will see.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0317 ...... ZMM Page = 1 ...... WayPt = 104m)
![The Yellowstone River Was the Route of the Pioneers. "[Now we follow the Yellowstone Valley right across Montana.]" , MT. As any alert land traveler (and history buff) soon discover, river valleys generally provide an easier passage for nearly all modes of travel as well as road construction. Rivers and streams often allow boat navigation and sometimes the first ways into and through a new territory. These facts were important for early explorers and settlers. Additionally valleys, compared to the surrounding terrain, are more favorable to agriculture. For these reasons roads and then towns become established in valleys such as the Yellowstone Valley. The Narrator’s goal was Bozeman, MT, so we should not be surprising that the ZMM Route follows for 160 miles fairly close to a river, the Yellowstone. It is also not surprising that this river was also traveled by Captain Merriwether Clark. So both t Narrator and Lewis and Clark traveled West through this area Montana. Basically the facts of geography, given above, lead/constrained the ZMM Route so that it repeatedly encounters Lewis and Clark Landmarks as you will see. ************************************ (Photo = Summer2006 0317 ...... ZMM Page = 1 ...... WayPt = 104m)](http://ww2.usca.edu/ResearchProjects/ProfessorGurr/gallery/albums/album07/DSC_0317.sized.jpg "The Yellowstone River Was the Route of the Pioneers. \"[Now we follow the Yellowstone Valley right across Montana.]\" , MT. As any alert land traveler (and history buff) soon discover, river valleys generally provide an easier passage for nearly all modes of travel as well as road construction. Rivers and streams often allow boat navigation and sometimes the first ways into and through a new territory. These facts were important for early explorers and settlers. Additionally valleys, compared to the surrounding terrain, are more favorable to agriculture. For these reasons roads and then towns become established in valleys such as the Yellowstone Valley. The Narrator’s goal was Bozeman, MT, so we should not be surprising that the ZMM Route follows for 160 miles fairly close to a river, the Yellowstone. It is also not surprising that this river was also traveled by Captain Merriwether Clark. So both t Narrator and Lewis and Clark traveled West through this area Montana. Basically the facts of geography, given above, lead/constrained the ZMM Route so that it repeatedly encounters Lewis and Clark Landmarks as you will see. ************************************ (Photo = Summer2006 0317 ...... ZMM Page = 1 ...... WayPt = 104m)")