Where is it? It has to be here somewhere. After all the ranger told us that the oldest tree in North Dakota, a Cottonwood tree, was located on the banks of the Missouri River inside the Cross Ranch State Park.

Hey, just letting you know that my column today was written as I overlook the Missouri River at the Cross Ranch State Park. I have often written about Cross Ranch State Park as being a “best kept secret,” and it still is. However, the Pretty Point Yurt is not a secret. It is the most reserved full-service facility in the North Dakota Park system. Why? I think the fact it is a yurt makes it special.

There are four yurts at The Cross Ranch, but the other three do not have the creature comfort amenities like a bathroom with a flush toilet, a full-service kitchen, air conditioning for the summer months and a gas fireplace for late fall and winter. It easily sleeps six, and it has a loft where kids, like my four grandkids, can set up shop and have a plethora of games and activities.

Then there is the view, second to none, of the Missouri River. At this point, the river is around a half mile wide. There is an island in the middle where Canadian Honker geese hang out and will often provide you with a wakeup call around 6 AM in the morning.

Let’s pause a bit and review some history:
1804- A highway on the North side of the Missouri River that commemorates the year that Lewis and Clark would travel up both the Missouri and Yellowstone River to explore what would be the Louisiana Purchase.
1806- A highway on the South side of the Missouri River that commemorates the year that Lewis and Clark would return to St. Louis. By the time they returned, most thought that they had perished at the hands of mother nature or had run into a hostile tribe of inhabitants.

Sacagawea (or now it is Sakakawea)- A woman, and her child, who were members of the Shoshone Indian tribe and served as a guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is widely written that without Sacagawea, the expedition would have perished, or stopped short of their goal of exploring and mapping the Louisiana Purchase along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. Lake Sakakawea, although spelled differently, was named in honor of this brave Shoshone Indian women who helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There are several tributes to Sacagawea, including a statue on the North Dakota State Capital ground in Bismarck.

Confluence- The point at which the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers join, just west of Williston, North Dakota. It is where Lewis and Clark eventually took different paths, but that is for another column.

Looking at the tall Cottonwood trees in Cross Ranch State Park, I can believe that some of them are over 200 years old. It would hard to determine just which one is the oldest, so let’s just say one of them certainly is.

And for those of you who would like to experience Cross Ranch State Park, go to the North Dakota Parks web site, parkrec.nd.gov, and click on Cross Ranch State Park. There are several campsites with, or without, modern services, there are five yurts and three cabins, including the most recently constructed York Cabin that again has all of the modern comforts. Weekends are pretty much booked at Pretty Point Yurt and York cabins, but there are several opportunities for mid-week bookings. We were able to reserve a Sunday-Monday night stay. Certainly not sorry that we took time off from our ordinary activities to make the trip.

Our afternoon activity includes a fire for roasting hot dogs for lunch, and a leisurely walk along the Matah (river trail) and Makoti Trails (tour of the area).

Winter is also a prime time for exploring the Cross Ranch. There are cross country ski and snowshoe rentals. A Cross Ranch Park trek is worth the trip, whether you stay a day, or book lodging.

As usual, we will have to say “farewell” to the Cross Ranch tomorrow. We do so knowing that we will return. We hope that you all are able to visit the Cross Ranch area. There are a lot of memories to be made here.

It was in 1804 when Lewis and Clark used the Missouri River as their highway to what would be the Louisiana Purchase. They used long keelboats and rowed and pushed them against the river current. “So, they went by this very spot,” I say to my wife Sue. And two years later, after exploration of the Northwest Territory, they would return to St. Louis navigating the Missouri River once again, but instead, they were traveling with the current and I am pretty sure they covered a lot more river each day than when they headed north.

Best Kept Secrets-
Going to push the Downtown Treat Trail on Friday, October 27th from 10 AM to 12 PM. Right now there are 30 businesses signed up to participate. Bring the kids, in fact, bring the whole neighborhood. More details on downtownminot.com.
Today’s Chuckle
In the old days, alternative energy used to mean borrowing your neighbor’s mule when your horse gave out.