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The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, with 13 historic buildings and 160 years of county history, a key focus being its past as a military post, a World War II internment camp for Italian and Japanese Americans, and its current role in preserving regional history.

The highlights of St. Ignatius Mission include its historical significance as the oldest continuously active Jesuit parish in the West, its 1891 architecture, and the 58 unique murals painted by Jesuit Brother Joseph Carignano, the mission's COOK. The mission was established in 1854 by Father Pierre-Jean De Smet to educate Native American children and serve the local communities, and the site includes other historic buildings like the original 1854 log church.

Bison: The main highlight is the large, healthy bison herd, considered one of the most genetically pure globally. We also saw several Pronghorns and a deer. Scenery: The range offers expansive grasslands, varied elevations, and scenic views of the landscape shaped by ancient glaciers including the Mission Mountains and the lines from the glacial Lake Missoula from the cataclysmic Ice Floods from periodic sudden ruptures of the ice dam on the Clark Fork River.

Gus is estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 years old, with some sources suggesting it might be up to 1,000 years old. It stands at a height of 163 feet (plus a 10-foot dead top) and has a circumference of 22.5 feet.

Native peoples used this site for at least a thousand years before Lewis and Clark passed through here. The bison jump site consists of a mile long sandstone cliff; there are remnants of drive lines on top of the cliff and there are up to 18 ft. of compacted buffalo remains below the cliff. The park has an interpretive trail, picnic tables and a black-tailed prairie dog town to help the visitor better understand the epic history of hunting on the high plains.

It has been described as, geographically speaking, either North America's largest buffalo jump or the world's largest. There is some evidence that it was the most utilized buffalo jump in the world.

In 2001, Tailrace Island was renamed Black Eagle Memorial Island (in honor of those workers who lost their lives while working on or at the dam) and turned over to the River's Edge Trail. Black Eagle Falls was the first hydroelectric dam power plant facility built in Great Falls way back when electricity was novel and new.

The Missouri river spills over a sheer ledge of sandstone in the Kootenai Formation, forming the falls. The falls used to flow with a great deal of force year-round. In 1914 the river shortly upstream was dammed for hydroelectric power by the Rainbow Dam, which forms a run-of-the-river reservoir.

The dam is built on the largest of the five Great Falls of the Missouri. The dam was constructed on top of a 10-foot cascade that Lewis and Clark observed to lie just upstream of Grand Fall. It operates at "run-of-river," meaning the water flows through or over the dam at the same rate as the natural flow of the river.

The dam is named after a banker, director of the Amalgamated Copper Company (a forerunner of the Anaconda Copper Company), and director of the Montana Power Company. (Morony was largely responsible for constructing Ryan Dam.) Montana Power commissioned the dam in order to provide additional power to the Anaconda Copper's zinc refinery at nearby Great Falls.

remnants of "Ragtown", once a bustling community of about 500 housing dam builders on the Backroads in the late 1920s.

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It is known for its rugged terrain, steep cliffs, and the remains of historic mines, a railroad, and cabins. The park offers opportunities for fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing, although the terrain can be challenging. Hiking is generally restricted to low water seasons.

Sluice Boxes State Park was created in 1974 and included significant historic structures and remnants of the abandoned towns of Riceville and Albright that once existed for the purpose of mining limestone in the canyon.

The Sip 'n Dip Lounge is a well-known tiki bar famous for its unique feature of live mermaid performances visible through a glass-walled pool behind the bar.

Giant Springs: One of the largest freshwater springs in the United States, discharging over 156 million gallons of water daily at a constant temperature of 54°F (12°C).
Roe River: The park is also home to the Roe River, once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river, flowing from Giant Springs into the Missouri River.

In November 14, 1959, the Kilauea Iki crater cracked into a half-mile long fissure and, over the next five weeks and 17 eruptions, spewed out enough lava to fill half of the crater you see today with molten rock. At its most dramatic point, lava exploded 1,900 feet in the air(!!!), the tallest eruption in Hawaii’s history. By December 20, 1959, the eruptions stopped and the remaining lava slowly cooled to form the hardened lava lake you’ll walk on today.

(Gushing Hill), the cinder-and-spatter cone created during a 1959 eruption beside the Kīlauea Iki crater caused by lava fountains that shot 1900 feet in the air.

Report written 4-23-2025 as I finally finished the 4-part video. Cousin Wendy planned the Hill Country part of our trip and I planned the San Antonio part. I don't remember the last time I got on a bike, would have preferred a horse as I know how it works . Cousin Wendy, however, has done a lot of biking including in Sedona on the Mescal Trail.

Mission San José, the "Queen of Missions," is renowned for its beauty and historical significance. Founded in 1720, it was the largest mission in San Antonio and offered sanctuary to over 300 individuals. It was also the first mission to build a gristmill in Texas. Before settling at its current location, Mission San José was moved twice due to various factors, including a smallpox epidemic and overcrowding. Major restoration work was carried out in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, preserving the mission's architectural integrity.

Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1731 by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order, on the eastern banks of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named for a 15th-century theologian and warrior priest who resided in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The mission was established to defend against French encroachment from the east. The mission was self-sufficient, with Indigenous artisans producing essential goods like iron tools and cloth.

Mission Espada (San Francisco of the Sword), one of five historic San Antonio missions, was initially founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas in East Texas, later relocated to its current location in 1731. It's known for its unique brick archways, a tranquil environment, and the well-preserved acequia (irrigation system) that still operates. Franciscan missionaries taught Indigenous residents new skills like blacksmithing, weaving, masonry, and carpentry in converting local Native Americans to Christianity and solidifying Spanish territorial claims.

Tree Of Life: Memories and Voices of the Earth sculpture. The Tree of Life is an 80-foot metal cast sculpture adorned with over 700 clay sculptures that represent the rich history of ranching in the area.

Our next goal was a Riverwalk to Rita's on the River, but it was closed due to recuperation from the Final Four for the employees... we would find that out the next nite (where we also visited our waiter of last year). We would end up walking another mile and a quarter to finish our day. Tomorrow it was the Trolley ride with a stop at the San Antonio Botanical Garden .

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The rock represents a geological phenomenon known as a “batholith” and was created 1.1 billion years ago when molten magma cooled and crystallized into granite far beneath the Earth's surface.