Maria's River
Posted by: 
ZenPanda
N 47° 55.732 W 110° 30.839
12T E 536304 N 5308508
Maria's River history
Waymark Code: WM2T5Z
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 12/17/2007
Views: 33
The Lewis and Clark expedition camped at the mouth of this river just east of here July 3, 1805. Lewis named it Maria's river in honor of his cousin Miss Maria Wood (over time the apostrophe was dropped). Until exploration proved otherwise, most members of the party believed this river to be the main channel of the Missouri.
On his return trip from the coast in 1806 Capt. Lewis explored the Maria's almost to its source.
In the Fall of 1831 James Kipp of the American Fur Co. built Fort Piegan at the mouth of the river, as a trading post for the Blackfeet Indians and acquired 2,400 beaver "plews" or skins by trade during the first 10 days. In 1832 the post was abandoned and the Indians burned it.
(second sign has no title just a train carved at the top)
The railroad grade you see before you was the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway, a precursor of the Great Northern Railway. James J. Hill, owner and builder, constructed this line in record time in 1887 to serve wealthy mining communities. There he offered competitive freight rates to take business away from the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific transcontinental railroads.
As railroads competed for ascendancy, Montana's cities vied for transportation facilities. Fort Benton has prospered as the head of steamboat navigation and the hub of freight and stage lines to settlements in Montana, Idaho and Canada. As railroads replaced steamboats as carriers, this line bypassed Fort Benton ending it's economic importance in transportation. This line went directly to Great Falls, enabling that city to grow as an industrial and rail center.
Describe the area and history:
railroad and river are easy to see.
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