Brief History and General Information for Three Forks
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Three Forks is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, and is located within the watershed valley system of both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers drainage basins. The city of Three Forks is named so because it lies geographically near the point, in nearby Missouri Headwaters State Park, where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers converge to form the Missouri River. As such, it’s historically considered to be the birthplace of the Missouri River, which is still traditionally considered to be the longest river in North America. |
| The three rivers, west to east, were named by Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in late July of 1805 after President Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State James Madison, and Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin. The area of the Missouri headwaters and surrounding the town of Three Forks has some of the most colorful legends and early day history of any region in Montana. The headwaters area was a natural crossroads and hunting ground for various Native American tribes, such as the Blackfeet, Shoshone, Flathead, and Crow, many years before Lewis and Clark arrived. Nearby is the Madison Buffalo Jump State Park where buffalo were hunted until about 200 years ago.Honored in Three Forks, the Indian woman Sacagawea is best known as the interpreter and guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1800, she was captured by the Mennetaree tribe near the present site of Three Forks. She later returned to this area with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, and identified the place as an important hunting ground that had been in use by the tribes for centuries. Her recognition of the area was comforting to all those in the expedition and a statue of Sacagawea now sits in a park off Main Street. | 
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Today, Three Forks is a thriving town that retains its Old-West charm. Centrally located just off Interstate 90 between Bozeman, Helena, and Butte, Three Forks is just 6 miles from the Missouri Headwaters State Park and a short drive to the Madison Buffalo Jump State Monument which archaeologists date back as 4,000 years old.Easily accessible off I-90, US-287, and Montana Highway 2, which is a back road en route between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park, Three Forks is home to spectacular outdoor sports. Always an adventure is the Lewis and Clark Caverns where stalactites and stalagmites create breathtaking scenes. You may also want to check out nearby ghost towns and authentic tipi rings. |
