La Framboise Island (Pierre, SD)

2013.06.30 (75 degrees at 12:31) - After visiting the South Dakota Capitol, we decided to walk around LaFramboise Island. The island was known to two of our favorite men, Lewis and Clark, as "Bad Humor" island because of an tense encounter with the Teton Sioux. On September 25, 1804, when the expedition was preparing to head North on the Missouri, a large well-armed crowd of Teton warriors and Chief Black Buffalo stopped them demanding a toll of tabacco. The expedition drew weapons preparing to fire. Eventually, the expedition paid the toll, but the return trip, Clark forbid any contact with the tribe.

The Island's name came from Joseph LaFramboise who built Fort LaFramboise at the mouth of the Missouri 'Bad' River west of the island. We parked west of the island as well at the Best Western Ramkota started our walk toward the LaFramboise Island under US - 83. Here we saw where two bridges stood side by side once. One for the railroad and another for cars. Now only the railroad stands as we walk under the new passageway for cars, but the river does not seem so bad to us.

Going along the Mighty Missouri right by Steamboat Park, this paved trail has plenty of shade trees and lush green grass. It is a good place for a picnic and open enough to throw the ball around. Turns out that steamboats were modified in this area to be 'mountain' boats to withstand the harsher, narrower, and shallower River. As the sign says, 'Boys go up the Mississippi, Men go up the Big Muddy.'

It is warming up as we get to LaFramboise. We pass some locals lying in the sun on the warm beach while others jump on jet skis. Upstream dams changed the water flow of the Missouri and also converted LaFramboise from an island to a peninsula. Plenty has happened here in the past 200 years since Lewis and Clark walked this ground with a lot more still to come.

We get to LaFramboise and the first cache takes us off the trail. Ammo cans are an attraction. It is one of the very few caches we find today as we spent more time walking the steps of our heroes. Wishing we could go back in time and what it would be like.

More interesting, we pass a fire hydrant and speculate that maybe one of times the thought came to develop this island until  maybe a flood came and washed away those aspirations. It is true that parts of the island were farmed once and that this land is futile. But can it be farmed again? Or lived on? Other than by the new generation of trees planted. 

Speaking of the vegetation, it is remarkable here. Amongst the Cottonwood and Junipers, there is this stringy switchgrass that did not hurt to walk through. As well as a cone flower that resembled a corn stalk flower. It must of fascinated Meriwether Lewis to no end and kept him busy.

We past an old windmill near the last open prairie section of the island. Excitement stirs because we have been walking for a couple of hours and are anticipating the view east of the Mighty Mo. Maybe get a glimpse of the past in the present day. However, we make it to a bench that on the map appears to be one of the last markers before the eastern tip and the trail virtually disappeared. We didn't come prepared with machetes and or weapons to deal with the dangers of the unknown, so we turned around. Maybe another time. 

On our way back, we made better time, but it was pretty warm and we were ready to make our way toward Southwest South Dakota. It wouldn't be the last time on this trip we will cross the Missouri nor would be the last time we envision ourselves as modern day pioneers.

We walked 7.25 miles in 3 hours and 36 minutes averaging 29 minutes : 54 seconds per mile while trying to re-track Lewis and Clark. Our fastest mile was mile 7 at 19 minutes : 43 seconds.

Total Blogged Miles: 97.56 miles.