The Alice Creek Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

in the Lincoln Ranger District of

Helena National Forest Helena National Forest is located in west-central Montana, in the United States. Covering , the forest is broken into several separate sections. The eastern regions are dominated by the Big Belt Mountains, and are the location of the Gates of the ...

Lincoln, Montana Lincoln is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,013. History Meriwether Lewis passed through the area on his return to St. ...

Lewis and Clark County, Montana Lewis and Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70,973. Its county seat is Helena, the state capital. The numerical designation for Lewis and Clark County (used in the issuance ...

Lichenometry In archaeology, palaeontology, and geomorphology, lichenometry is a geomorphic method of geochronologic dating that uses lichen growth to determine the age of exposed rock, based on a presumed specific rate of increase in radial size over time.L ...

was used for the process of nominating it for inclusion on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

; "rock cairns, stone forts, fire hearths, and a Celtic cross" were found as a result. There are no buildings within the historic district. There is a marshy area at the bottom of Alice Creek, sage flats, and many trees. The region has been used for five thousand years by Native Americans. The primary trail in this area is the Cokahlarishkit Trail, which is a

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

that means "Road to the Buffalo Trail" or "Buffalo Road River" and were long used by Native Americans. The Cokahlarishkit Trail provides the most direct route to traverse through this region of North America. After departing Traveler's Rest near

Lolo, Montana Lolo is a census-designated place (CDP) in Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Missoula Metropolitan Area, Missoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,399 at the 2020 United States ...

, on their return trip,

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

' part of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

explored the Alice Creek region in July 1806 and used the Cokahlarishkit Trail. This trail is now part of the

Lewis and Clark Trail The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some from Pittsburgh, Pen ...

. Father

Nicholas Point Nicholas Point; (10 April 1799 – 4 July 1868), was a French people, French Catholic Church, Catholic priest, artist, and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for the drawings and watercolors he created during his mis ...

, a French Jesuit, built a stone cross here on September 28, 1842. Father

Pierre-Jean De Smet Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19th ...

also explored the region. The Alice Creek Guard Station was built here by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

in 1920. "The data indicates that two cairns in Landers Fork and two of the cairns in Alice Creek are Native American in origin and that one of the cairns in Alice Creek is possibly Euro-American in origin. The data indicates that the stone lookout is Native American in origin and the data also supports the theory that the stone cross is indeed associated with Father Point." Lieutenant John Mullan mapped the area in 1863. Gold was discovered near

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

in 1865 and the first area homestead was filed in 1882. Several government survey crews again mapped the area between 1877 and 1911. Two of those surveyors were Demas McFarland and Lee Williams. The Alice Creek Trailhead leads to the Lewis and Clark Pass and the

Scapegoat Wilderness The Scapegoat Wilderness consists of 239,936 acres (971 km2) spread across three different National Forests in the U.S. state of Montana. Created by an act of Congress in 1972, the wilderness is located in Lewis and Clark, Helena and Lolo ...

. Many outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, camping, picknicking, nature study, fishing, horse riding, and winter sports are available.

References

External links

Satellite view of the Alice Creek area
{{National Register of Historic Places Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Buildings and structures completed in 1806 Geography of Lewis and Clark County, Montana National Register of Historic Places in Lewis and Clark County, Montana Helena National Forest

See also

References

External links