Montana's DAR Markers . . . Honoring Where History Was Made

HISTORY
Montana State Society DAR arranged for a pageant and dedication
ceremony to present the Sacajawea Memorial marker at Armstead for
Monday, August 30, 1915. But since the bronze marker did not arrive
in time from New York, DAR decided to hold the pageant with the
marker boulder in place, but without the bronze plaque. A special train
carried a group of 300 from Dillon to Armstead for the event, which
started with a picnic. Attendees were advised to wear “a costume that
will be comfortable for a short hike to the top of the hill.”
Newspapers of the day reported a “Celebration at Armstead,”
starting at 1:15 p.m., complete with picnics, pageantry, and music by
the Dillon Military Band. The DAR pageant depicted historic scenes
and included Shoshone Indians from the Lemhi reservation,
descendants of those whom Lewis and Clark had met. The program
included several dances: “Spirit of Adventure,” by a group of Dillon
girls and “Owl Dance,” by Campfire Girls of Sacajawea Camp of
Dillon. That evening, attendees were invited to a dance in Armstead.
Later that fall, on Monday, November 15, 1915, Montana DAR
held the delayed ceremony to place the bronze DAR marker at the Two
Forks of the Missouri River, at the Oregon Short Line railway depot at
Armstead. The marker, donated by the Anaconda Copper Mining
Company, was installed in a large granite boulder and placed on “a
specially prepared lawn just south of the Oregon Short Line station at
Armstead, a thriving community south of Dillon…”
Former Senator W.A. Clark presented the tablet to DAR and was
the principal speaker at the unveiling ceremonies. His address was
reported to have been greatly enjoyed by all, and his personal
reminiscences of early days in Montana “delighted the many old timers
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