Livingston is the county seat of Park County and is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park.
The community was first named Clark City in honor of Herman Clark, a well known contractor and builder for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
The town plat was filed later that year under the name Livingston in recognition of Johnston Livingston, a director and major stockholder of the railroad.
The railroad provided a means of transporting coal, wool, and cattle to market. It also enabled Livingston to serve as the original gateway to Yellowstone, the nation’s first national park. Mining and agriculture were additional economic factors in the town’s development.
Today, Livingston is the 11th largest city in Montana. Rail transportation continues to be a mainstay of the area’s economy, along with tourism, recreation, agriculture, and mining.
The Corps of Discovery’s entry into the Yellowstone River valley is commemorated at Sacajawea Park in the city of Livingston. The municipal park is about a half-mile downriver from the probable location where the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the river, July 15, 1806. A statue of Sacajawea mounted upon a horse and holding her son.
Sacajawea Park is situated along the Yellowstone River and offers a large variety of activities. There are 6 tennis courts, picnic tables with grills and shaded benches, a bandstand, sports fields, playground, skate park, an outdoor swimming pool and picturesque views of the Yellowstone River.
The park is used for annual events: Easter Egg Hunt, Kids Fishing Derby, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, and many other events.
Sacajawea Park is part of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.
One of the highlights of the park is the 9-foot-tall statue of the Shoshone woman Sacajawea on horseback and with Pomp as a toddler. Entitled
At the Yellowstone,this masterpiece is the work of Montana artist Mary Michael.
In addition to the Sacajawea statue, there are two armed forces commemorations, and several other plaques and signs.
Scenic Lake at Livingston Is WPA Built
According to Big Timber Pioneer newspaper, Sacajawea Park in the town of Livingston, MT was one of 55 public parks ‘built or improved’ by the WPA in Montana between fall 1935 and Sept. 1938.
The construction of Sacajawea Park involved a diversion of the Yellowstone River, creating a lake. In addition to other “extensive improvements,” WPA labor built a “lighted turf athletic field; and a spacious hard-surface tennis court area.” Swimming and boating facilities were also provided.
From Living New Deal