The Powder River and The Red Trail - Ismay, Montana
Posted by: 
flyingmoose
N 46° 25.585 W 105° 18.726
13T E 476019 N 5141474
Historical Marker located on the side of the road on the West side of the Powder River.
Waymark Code: WM132BJ
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 08/31/2020
Views: 0
This marker describes the nearby river and old crossing point which still exist.
THE POWDER RIVER AND THE RED TRAIL
This is the river that many claim is a mile wide, an inch deep, and runs uphill. That statement may be exaggerated, but Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition commented on its color and called it "disagreeably muddy." Clark named it the Redstone River. The Mandan and Hidatsa people called it the "War-Rah-Sash," which roughly translates as Powder River. Clark and his party camped just across the Yellowstone from the mouth of the Powder on the night of July 30th, 1806. When Clark passed through here, he noted the great number of bears and buffalo in the area.
This highway was once known as US 10, but originated even earlier than that as the old road between Glendive and Miles City in the early 1880s. By 1912, it was known as the Red Trail, a tourist association automobile route that provided a connection between Fargo, North Dakota and the Yellowstone Trail at Miles City. Motorist on the highway followed white and red blazes painted on fence post along the road. For a short time, it was also part of the National Park Highway.
Built in 1946, the steel bridge over the Powder River was the last through truss bridge constructed in Montana.