During the 19th century, the Missouri River was one of the main routes for the westward expansion of the United States, its illustrious history made famous by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Long before they arrived, however, the river and the valley surrounding it was home to Native Americans, who led mostly nomadic lifestyles following the enormous buffalo herds that roamed through the Great Plains. This location has long been an important river crossing. The Assiniboine dubbed this spot “Crow Ford” because the Crow used it during their raiding campaigns. Lewis and Clark themselves camped here in 1805. As homesteaders poured in, ferries began shuttling man, beast, and belongings across the mighty Missouri at this very location. Once winter set in though, the only way to cross was on the unpredictable ice.

In February of 1926, two young men were driving home from a basketball game, on a path that led them onto the ice of the Missouri River. They retraced their tracks from earlier in the day, following the ruts they had made on the frozen river. The ice gave way, sending the Model T into the frigid water. The boys perished. After the devastating accident, it was apparent that a bridge was needed to provide year-round, safe travel. Through successful lobbying efforts, the project was a go.

The new Missouri River Bridge was completed and open to traffic in 1930. It was the first bridge to span the Missouri River at Wolf Point and the only bridge along the river for a 350-mile stretch. In 1945, the 140th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition prompted naming the park at the north end of the bridge for the famed explorers, thus changing the name of the bridge to the Lewis and Clark Bridge.

Of course all good things must come to an end. Because of the modern traffic changes in the later twentieth century, the narrow bridge needed to be replaced. Its symbolic importance, however, prompted its preservation. The last example of a riveted Pennsylvania through truss bridge in Montana, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November of 1997. The Lewis and Clark Bridge is visible today from a distance of fifteen miles, appearing as three ethereal puffs of gray against the prairie.