Camp Disappointment | Browning, Montana
On the return trip in late July of 1806, Capt. Lewis, George Drouillard, and the two Fields brothers ascended the Marias River. The explorers were hoping to find a tributary of the Missouri that went far enough north to cross the 50th parallel.
Driving Directions from Nearest Town or Landmark
The northernmost point reached by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Camp Disappointment, is approximately 12 miles east of Browning on Highway 2 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
This historic site is marked by a monument erected by the Great Northern Railway in 1925 and a sign at milepost 233 on US Highway 2 between Browning and Cut Bank, which is four miles directly south of the actual camp site reached on July 23, 1806. (Access by permission from private landowner only).
On the Cut Bank River, east of present-day Browning, Lewis could see the river exiting the mountains. He called this northern-most campsite of the expedition ‘Camp Disappointment’ since this meant the Marias did not reach 50 degrees north latitude.
Historical Time Period for Site
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Hours
24-7
Open Months
Year Round