Another unique confluence is that of two National Trail Systems. Undaunted Courage author Stephen Ambrose made no secret of Lemhi County being one of his favorite spots along the Lewis and Clark Trail. At Lemhi Pass, visitors can experience both the Lewis and Clark Trail and the Continental Divide Trail on the same trip.
The Salmon River Valley is world famous because of its proximity to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, at 2.3 million acres the largest wilderness area in the lower 48. Wilderness whitewater rafting trips on the Main Salmon River begin at Corn Creek, downriver from the small community of North Fork. Multi-day Middle Fork of the Salmon trips conclude at Cache Bar in the same vicinity. Both the Middle Fork and the Main are designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
These two photos evoke a sense of this place and its history as a homeland to both the Agaidika ~ Lemhi Shoshoni and the succeeding generations of settlers who found shelter, sustenance, and safety in these valleys of the Lemhi, Salmon, and Pahsimerai (original spelling) rivers. When gold was discovered in the Salmon River Range in 1866, archaeological evidence demonstrates that the antecedents of the Agaidika had been in this region at least 10,000 years.
The location of this photograph on the high bar served as camping site to the Shoshoni with a traditional burial ground above them and, after 1866, as the Pollard Ranch, the Oliver ranch, the Jolley ranch, and finally, the Smedley subdivision.
Both the Lemhi County Museum and the Sacajawea Center detail the fascinating history of Salmon's most famous resident, the Lemhi-Shoshone Sacajawea. The museum has a vast historic photo collection that portrays the early days of Mormon settlers, mining, logging and agriculture. Salmon Valley Stewardship partnered with the Museum, the Salmon Arts Council and the Lemhi Regional Land Trust to collaborate on the "Then and Now" photo exhibit documenting transition in the New American West.
