The West Old & New Vol. III Issue IV April 2014 | Page 22

The Lewis & Clark Caverns
Whitehall, Montana
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is located in southeastern Jefferson County, Montana. The primary feature of
the park is its namesake cavern.
The caverns have been familiar to Native Americans since long before their discovery by Europeans. The Lewis and
Clark Expedition camped within sight of the caverns on July 31, 1805, when they camped along Antelope Creek. The
cavern was first discovered by non-Native Americans in 1882 by two people from Whitehall, Montana, Charles Brooke
and Mexican John. However, they told few people and at the time their discovery did not become well known. In 1892,
local ranchers Tom Williams and Bert (or Burt) Pannel saw steam coming from the caverns while hunting. In 1898,
Williams finally explored the caverns. Williams wanted to begin giving tours to the caverns but in 1900 a court battle
over ownership ensued and the railroad won. In 1908, the railroad gave the land to the federal government.
The cave was first developed for tours around 1900 by Dan A. Morrison, who called it Limespur Cave. The site was
first officially established as "Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument" on May 11, 1908, but was not