Yorks Islands, also known as "Yorks 8 Islands" or "York's Islands" or simply "York Island(s)" are a group of several islands in the flood plain of the Missouri River, in

Broadwater County Broadwater County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,774. Its county seat is Townsend, Montana, Townsend. The county was named for Charles Arth ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, about 4 miles south (up-river) from

Townsend, Montana Townsend is a city in and the county seat of Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2020 census. History Lewis and Clark passed through on the voyage of discovery in 1805, although the first white settlers, h ...

, along U.S. Highway 287. The islands were named by 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 ...

(1803–1806) for Clark's slave

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, when the expedition passed this way in 1805 on their historic journey of exploration to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The islands may be accessed from U.S.287, as a Montana Fishing Access site.

Naming Yorks Islands

The islands were named for

(ca. 1770–1831), Captain

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

's lifelong slave companion, and "body servant" who accompanied Clark on the expedition to the Pacific and back. The expedition passed this point on July 24, 1805. The name "Yorks 8 Islands" is not found in the narrative journals of

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

for that day; it is, however, found in Clark's tabulations on his map drawings and in his list of "Creeks and Rivers." Clark's map for this area has the entry "Yorks 8 Islands," and under related remarks in Clark's "Creeks and Rivers" is "W.C. on land York tired." On Wednesday, July 24, 1805, Meriwether Lewis made the following journal entry, which describes his thoughts about the formation of Yorks Islands:

we saw many beaver and some otter today; the former dam up the small channels of the river between the islands and compell the river in these parts to make other channels; which as soon as it has effected that which was stopped by the beaver becomes dry and is filled up with mud sand gravel and driftwood. the beaver is then compelled to seek another spot for his habitation wher he again erects his dam. thus the river in many places among the clusters of islands is constantly changing the direction of such sluices as the beaver are capable of stoping or of 20 yds in width. this anamal in that way I believe to be very instrumental in adding to the number of islands with which we find the river crouded.

The captains followed the practice of naming geographic features after prominent persons who somehow had been connected with the expedition, particularly the President and members of his

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

, (viz Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers) or attributes of President Jefferson (viz. Philanthropy, Philosophy, and Wisdom Rivers). In addition, as far as can be determined, a geographic feature was named for every Corps member, including Seaman, Lewis's Newfoundland dog. In 1806, on the return leg of the expedition down the Yellowstone River, Clark also named another geographical feature for York, "York's Dry Creek", a tributary of the Yellowstone River in Custer County,

. This name did not stick, however, and the creek became known as "Custer Creek".

Official recognition of nomenclature "Yorks Islands"

Though the name for "Yorks 8 Islands" appears on Clark's 1805 maps of the expeditions travel along the Missouri for July 24, 1805, the geographical designation for "Yorks Islands" was not officially confirmed until 2000, when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the name Yorks Islands for the group of Missouri River islands in Broadwater County. The name was also approved by the Montana Board on Geographic Names and has been entered into the Nation's official automated geographic names repository. The USGS (

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

)

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

has settled on "Yorks Islands". However, the area is also called "York's Islands", or simply "York Island".

Designation of "York's Islands Fishing Access Site"

The island group are now incorporated into "York's Islands Fishing Access Site", maintained by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department. This site is located on 22 acres along the east side of Missouri River 4 miles south of

Townsend Townsend (pronounced tounʹ-zənd) or Townshend may refer to: Places United States *Camp Townsend, National Guard training base in Peekskill, New York *Townsend, Delaware *Townsend, Georgia *Townsend, Massachusetts, a New England town **Townsend ( ...

. The site is just off of U.S. Highway 287. The site is marked by a Montana Fish and Wildlife Department sign. It includes a boat launch, picnic tables, fishing access, camping sites (including some for small trailers) and toilets. There is a small fee. There is no water or any other services.York's Islands Fishing Access Site
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References

External links

*York Island Fishing Access Commemoratio

*Crimson Bluffs Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundatio

*York's Islands Fishin Access Site, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park

*Lewis & Clark National Historic Interpretive Center, Great Falls, Montana

*National Geographic: Lewia & Clar

*Discovering Lewis & Clar

*Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (PB

*Lewis & Clark's Historic Trai

*Lewis & Clark, Mapping the West (Smithsonian

*Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America(Library of Congress Exhibitio

*Lewis & Clark 10

{{authority control River islands of Montana Exploration of North America Lewis and Clark Expedition Landforms of Broadwater County, Montana Islands of the Missouri River Pre-statehood history of Montana

Naming Yorks Islands

Official recognition of nomenclature "Yorks Islands"

Designation of "York's Islands Fishing Access Site"

See also

References

External links