The Corps of Discovery and the Teton Sioux

It was at what is now Fischers Lilly Park in Fort Pierre, at the confluence of the Bad and Missouri Rivers, that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had their fateful encounter with the local Teton Sioux. Today, the park is a designated stop on the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. Visitors can stroll across the Bad River on a newly built bridge, use the boat ramp to explore the river, or camp at 12 RV campsites.

This site north of Vermillion is where Lewis and Clark hiked in search of miniature "devils" described by local tribes. Though none were found, Clark described the experience in his journal this way: "In an immense plain a high hill is situated, and by the different nations of Indians is supposed to be the residence of devils. They're in human form with remarkable large heads and about 18 inches high, and are armed with sharp arrows."

As they traveled up the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark passed through the vast lands that are now home to the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Visit the Big Bend of the Missouri River and the tribe's Narrows Historical Interpretive Area as you explore the Lewis & Clark Trail and Native American Scenic Byway.

Along a 100-mile stretch of North America’s longest river, the Missouri National Recreational River keeps the wild spirit of the American West alive. Two free-flowing sections of the Missouri remain virtually as Lewis and Clark saw them — beautiful, untamed and waiting to be explored.