Clark Days

July 25 - 26, 2009

Free Admission beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday
Free dry camping Saturday night only
Only night of the year that camping is allowed on the grounds of the Pillar

2009 Clark Days Schedule

Saturday, July 25

5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Nature Walk
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Whatever Happened to Baby Pomp? by John LeVar
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. - Early History of the Pillar by Carol Shervee-Bybee
8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - Buffalo: Then and Now by Don Woerner, DVM
9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. - Sacajawea with Kenneth Thomasma, author
10:30 p.m. - The Night Sky with Area Astronomers

Sunday, July 26

6 a.m. - Bird Walk with Carl Wolf
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast served by Huntley Lions Club ($4)
10 a.m. - Presentation of Colors by Elk River Brigade
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -
- Displays and Presentations Open: Firearms, Canoe, Travois, Blacksmithing, Story Telling, Museum of Agriculture, Pryor Mustangs, BLM, Clark Along the Yellowstone, Medical Instruments, Clark's Expedition Maps, Following Clark's Trail, Trade Goods, Sign Language,
  and activities in the Children's Booth
- Demonstration: Cooking and Art with Jeff and Teri Evenson
- Meet authors Kenneth Thomasma and Barbara Fifer
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Buffalo Burger Lunch served by Huntley Lions
Club ($6)
1 p.m. - "Captain Clark the Caregiver" by Barbara Fifer, author
2 p.m. - Gerard Baker talks about "What Did Clark and the Other Guy Do
For Us - After 200 + Years"
3 p.m. - Presentation of the Crow Indian tepee-raising story, dancing and drumming

Authors Fifer and Thomasma and Historical Speaker Baker Highlight Family Activities During Clark Days At Pompeys Pillar National Monument

Authors Barbara Fifer and Ken Thomasma along with Gerard Baker, superintendent at Mount Rushmore National Park, highlight activities during Clark Days at Pompeys Pillar National Monument on Saturday afternoon, July 25, and Sunday, July 26.

Pompeys Pillar National Monument marks the site of a "remarkable rock" that compelled Captain William Clark and his party to stop and go ashore. "It provided an extensive view in every direction," he wrote in his journal. Clark signed the rock on July 25, 1806.

"The two days of activities commemorate Clark's visit and help visitors share the history," said John LeVar, co-chair of the event. "Music, speakers, dancers and other activities all recall the period of the visit and the history of this location along the Yellowstone River."

Activities begin at 5 p.m on Saturday when the grounds open to campers for dry camping. No hook-ups are available. Both RV and tent camp spots are available. Saturday evening programs include a nature walk followed by programs on baby Pomp, buffalo, the history of the area and a talk by Ken Thomasma on Sacajawea beginning at 9:30 p.m. The evening concludes with a presentation about the night sky.

Events and activities for the family continue Sunday with a guided bird walk at 6 a.m. followed by a pancake breakfast served by the Huntley Lions Club beginning at 7 a.m. A buffalo burger lunch also will be available. There is a charge for the meals.

Sunday's speakers include Barbara Fifer talking about "Captain Clark the Caregiver" beginning at 1 p.m. followed at 2 p.m. by Gerard Baker's presentation, "What Did Clark and the Other Guy Do For Us - After 200 + Years."

Displays and demonstrations include firearms, the travois, blacksmithing, canoes, and various other historical presentations.

Also located on the grounds, the Interpretive Center houses displays on the people of the area prior to the arrival of William Clark, the story of Clark's return journey along the Yellowstone and the evolution of the area after his visit. The Interpretive Center, gift shop and grounds are open until 8 p.m. both days.

Pompeys Pillar National Monument is located 28 miles east of Billings along I-94 at Exit 23. No admission is charged from 5 p.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Sunday during the Clark Days celebration.

Clark Days is sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Pompeys Pillar Historical Association. The Association was organized in 1991 in cooperation with BLM to assist and advance the historical, scientific, educational and interpretative programs at Pompeys Pillar. Association members provide volunteer support at the Pillar. The BLM manages the landmark and its surrounding acreage. The Pillar was designated a national monument in 2001.

Saturday Programs at the Pillar

Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m.
Dakota Goodhouse presents an interactive program called "Parfleche: Native American Boxes." Children and adults alike are invited to create a parfleche envelope of their own during this 40 minute presentation.

Saturday, June 13 at 1 p.m.
Goodhouse will present "Wintercount: Traditional Calendar of the Plains." A wintercount will be on display, as well as flutes and a U.S. scout uniform. Goodhouse is chief of interpretation at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park near Mandan, N.D.

Saturday, June 27 at 2 p.m.
Mary Ellen Ergle tells of her adventures collecting and preserving specimens of the same plants that Lewis and Clark found on their expedition. She also discusses the role that Lewis and Clark played as pioneering naturalists. Ergle a ranger with the National Park Service at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

For further information contact Dick Kodeski, Monument Manager
at Pompeys Pillar 406-875-2400