11/23/2025
Such an amazing place in our world of Lewis & Clark Trail Adventures. You can joing us Aug 10-12 for a 3 day hiking trip!
So much more than a trail, walking in the footsteps of many others before us. ThanksLewis and Clark National Historic Trail for sharing!
As the Corps of Discovery crossed the Bitterroot Mountains in September 1805, guided by a Lemhi Shoshone man, Old Toby, they followed the ancient trail known as the Buffalo Road. The trail’s primary section came to be known by the 1850s as the Lolo Trail. This site, at just under 7,000 feet above sea level is the highest point along The Lolo Motorway, a primitive, winding road through the remote Idaho high country.
According to Native oral histories, messages were conveyed along this high ridge using the stones from several rock cairns in a variety of patterns. Others say the open k**b was a well-known landmark where warriors, hunters, and later prospectors left messages for one another. Even today, it is considered sacred ground by many.
But it wasn’t until about 1886 that the name, “Indian Post Office,” was first applied, probably by a construction crew cutting their way through the dense forest growth and steep terrain.
So, searching through the journals for any mention of Indian Post Office is fruitless. While the Corps passed along this path in 1805 (and overnighted about a mile away at Lonesome Cove Camp), and again in 1806, they probably weren’t aware of the practical and sacred significance to the Native peoples.
Image: A 1970s-era color postcard of the Indian Post Office area in Idaho.
Image Description: A high-country setting with a large rock cairn in the foreground and a second cairn is about 30 feet away. A few coniferous trees are spread across the rounded ridgeline surrounded by short, tufted grasses. Dense forests are seen in the distance. White cumulous clouds are in a light blue sky.
