Hoping to be the first annual event that will continue for years to come, Lolo Hot Springs Resort and Lodge is hosting Lewis and Clark Expedition Days from June 20 to 22. The three days feature a number of different events and activities focused on the area’s history.
Since Brent Olson purchased Lolo Hot Springs Resort in 2006, a history-themed event has been on his mind. This year, the event became a reality for the first time.
Larry Patterson, left, and Mickala Gillispie, right, are hosting the first annual Lewis and Clark Expedition Days at Lolo Hot Springs on Thursday, June 20 through Saturday, June 22.
Mostly, the event finally started this year due to the staff’s love for the area’s past.
“There was always something that the wheels wouldn’t turn,” Olson said. “So finally we got the wheels oiled by some of the other people here. We really want to keep it going and it’s something we want to do. Next year it will be 220 years since (Lewis and Clark) came through.”
Lolo Hot Springs had been well known to the Native Americans long before the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived in the fall of 1805 and then their return in 1806. The excursionists stayed in an area named “Travelers Rest” before continuing their journey across the Bitterroot Mountains along the Lolo Trail.
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“We’re hoping to bring the community back here to kind of show them the history of this place,” Mickala Gillispie, the event coordinator, said. “To show them their backyard of the rich history that they’re standing on. You can’t know how to appreciate something until you learn about it.”
Kids will receive bags full of items including a coloring book, a Frisbee, arrowheads and more while they experience the Lewis and Clark Expedition Days at Lolo Hot Springs.
On June 20, local history experts discussed the Lewis and Clark expedition during a meal at The Lodge of Lolo Hot Springs, one part of the three-day event they have hosted in the past. The speakers explained the explorers’ use of military standards and their discoveries throughout the trip. The meal included Cornish game hen, baked trout, rice pilaf, vegetables, blackberry crisp and strawberry cordial spritzers and meads from Hidden Valley Winery.
The next two days will feature a free scavenger hunt. The map outlines trails to walk around the property. The goal of the activity is to educate kids on the history of Native Americans in the area and how the groups communicated themselves and with Lewis and Clark. Experts will be available to help kids identify animals
