On April 27, 1805, Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery first entered what would become Montana, 20 miles to the northeast of the present-day Sidney. A couple days earlier they camped at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, just across what is now the Montana-North Dakota border. Their journals describe the abundance of wildlife in the area, ’we saw great quantities of game today; consisting of the common and mule deer, Elk, Buffalo, and Antelopes; also 4 brown bear, one of which was fired on and wounded by one of the party, but we did not get it; the beaver have cut great quantities of timber; saw a tree nearly 3 feet in diameter that had been felled by them.’ The next day, they encountered their first grizzly bear, ‘I walked on shore with one man about 8 A.M. we fell in with two brown or yellow bear.’ On August 12, 1806, Lewis and Clark again were at the joining of the two rivers on their way back east. This was their meeting point. On their way back from the west coast, when they entered what would become Montana, Lewis followed the Missouri River and Clark explored the Yellowstone.

The confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers lies nearby in a 75-mile-long irrigated valley. Oil and agriculture are the prominent industries and crops include grains, sugar beets, corn, beans and hay. Located in the Williston Oil Basin, oil pumping and exploration can be found throughout the area.

Sidney’s Mondak Heritage Center features area history and includes an extensive street scene of the early 1900s. The 16-unit, turn of the century street scene is complete with boardwalks, the St. Cyr gun collection, area artifacts and early photos. Two main art galleries house changing exhibits. Other displays include a horse-drawn sleigh, dinosaur bones, two original J. K. Ralston paintings and a 1906 Model N Ford.

To the northeast is Old Fort Union, a National Historic Site. The original fort built in 1828 by the American Fur Company, rose at the convergence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. By 1867, it was gone, as the fur trade was coming to a halt. Today’s reconstructed version is managed by the National Park Service. It’s well worth seeing anytime, but especially if you can make it on the occasion of the Fort Union Rendezvous, an annual event. Check with the Sidney Chamber of Commerce as to the dates and information.

Activities include fishing for many warm-water species, including the huge prehistoric paddlefish; agate hunting along the Yellowstone; hunting big game, waterfowl and upland birds; and exploring the famous Lewis and Clark Trail. The lush irrigated valley with the backdrop of bluffs, badlands and red, scoria hills is a photographer’s dream.

Elevation: 1,984 feet