LaBarge Rock
Encyclopedia
LaBarge Rock in Choteau County, Montana
(occasionally referred to as La Barge Rock) is a dramatic landform
in the shape of a large rock column
or pillar
, rising 150 feet from waters' edge of the Missouri River
. Besides having a striking appearance, LaBarge Rock is located in a picturesque riverside setting which has attracted artists and photographers over two centuries. Access is difficult; the pillar is located at Missouri River BLM mile-mark 56 in the White Cliffs section of the remote Missouri Breaks area of Montana. The pillar is composed of massive dark alkilik igneous rock, in striking contrast to the long white sandstone
cliffs that form its backdrop. Because of the isolation of the Missouri Breaks area LaBarge Rock and the White Cliffs appear today much as they did when seen by Lewis and Clark in 1804 on the outward leg of their journey of exploration.
captain on the Missouri. He plied the upper Missouri river in Montana during the boom years of uper Missouri river travel. From 1859 to 1890 steamboat transportation between lower river ports in Missouri up to the head of navigation at Fort Benton, Montana Territory, was the common mode by which passengers and freight got to and from the mining camps and ranches of central and western Montana. Occasionally the land form is called La Barge Rock, an alternative spelling of Captain LaBarge's name.
" during the Tertiary
to late Cretaceous
geologic period (about 65 million years ago). At that time, the source rock material was heated to a fluid state deep in the earth and then it was injected by force upward into overlaying sedimentary "country rock" of white sandstone
and shale
.
At the time of the intrusion both the hot molten
rock and the recipient sedimentary rock were buried deep below the surface of the earth. As the molten liquid igneous rock (often referred to as "magma
") was forced upward and outward into the sedimentary rock, it displaced and cracked the surrounding rock structures. After intrusion the molten
liquid rock cooled and hardened. Where the molten rock liquid filled in horizontally between rock layers, it formed sills
; when it filled in vertical cracks it formed dikes
; where the intrustion formed a blunt bullet shaped plug this was called a stock.
The material forming LaBarge Rock was injected in the form of a stock. Over geologic time crustal movement brought these injected igneous rocks to the surface of the earth. The darker, denser igneous material of the injected rock is more resistant to erosion
and weathering
than the surrounding softer white sandstone
and shale
, so the harder igneous rock weathered out into distinctive land forms. The LaBarge Rock stock weathered out into the pillar shaped land form seen today.
In this area of the Missouri Breaks, along the Missouri River
there were other intrusive emplacements which have weathered out from the surrounding white sandstone/shale formations, forming promontory features of dikes
and sills
, and stock. Along the river these features include LaBarge Rock, as well as Dark Butte, Citadel Rock, Grand Natural Wall, Pilot Rock and Steamboat Rock. The background of white sandstone/shale cliffs run along this stretch of the Missouri River for miles. North of the river, some of the natural features formed from intrusive rock are Eagle Buttes, Birdtail Butte and Chimney Rock.
/shale that appear on both banks of the river for long stretches. This section of the river is within the remote and isolated Missouri Breaks. Because of the White Cliffs' arresting appearance which received recent exposure from Stephen Ambrose's book on the Lewis and Clark's Expedition, "Undaunted Courage
", there have been growing numbers wishing to float this portion of the Missouri from Coal Banks Landing (BLM Mile 41) to Judith Landing (BLM Mile 88).
(1809–1893) was a Swiss
painter
who accompanied German explorer Prince Maximilian
from 1832 through 1834 on his Missouri River expedition
in the then remote regions of the American west. He recorded images of Indian tribes and noteworthy sites. In August 1833 he made pencil drawings and water colors of LaBarge Rock which later became incorporated into Tableau 41 and Tableau 34. Tableau 41 focuses on LaBarge Rock, and is entitled "View of the Stone Walls on the Upper Missouri". Click on the preceding reference to view a photo of this artwork.
LaBarge Rock is directly across the river from the mouth of Eagle Creek. Thomas Hart Benton painted 'Lewis and Clark at Eagle Creek' in his unique style in 1967, but the angle of view of this painting is such that it does not depict LaBarge Rock, focusing instead on another view from Eagle Creek of the spectacle of the White Cliffs running along the river. Click on the preceding footnote to see a photo of this Benton painting. LaBarge Rock would be just out of the left edge of the painting.
LaBarge Rock is not easily accessible, as it exists along the Missouri River in the remote area of Montana known as the Missouri Breaks. Nevertheless, its appearance is so dramatic that it is often photographed by the people who float the river. An internet Google search of images for "LaBarge Rock" will reward the searcher with a variety of photographic views of the land form.
an American humanities Rhodes scholar, Danforth Scholar, and author had this impression on visiting LaBarge Rock.
More succinctly the author of "A Float Down the White Cliffs Section of the Missouri River, July, 2002" described the LaBarge Rock area:
, part of the Missouri Breaks, that are so rough that roads through the breaks down to the river (and thus to specific sites along the river) are primitive and thinly distributed across a large area. However, opposite the site of LaBarge Rock, there is a campground that exists for boaters floating the river (referred to as Eagle Creek Campground or sometimes LaBarge Campground) that can be reached from the north and east bank by primitive dirt road, but this road crosses private land and access over that private land may be restricted. The most common way to visit the White Cliffs area, including LaBarge Rock is to float this section of the Missouri River. The White Cliffs section of the river may be boated in one long day trip, from Coal Banks Landing (BLM mile-mark 41) to Judith Landing (BLM mile-mark 88) if a motorized boat is utilized, or during a more relaxed float-and-paddle river expedition lasting several days. This float trip has become incrasingly popular in recent years.
LaBarge Rock may be climbed even by those who do not have technical rock climbing skills by taking gullies at the river's edge that lead up and around the side of the pillar to side away from the river, at which place there is reportedly enough erosion of the pillar that the top may be gained with some acceptable difficulty in climbing. This route is described in a book, "A River Calling", by Glenn Frontin.
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
(occasionally referred to as La Barge Rock) is a dramatic landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
in the shape of a large rock column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
or pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
, rising 150 feet from waters' edge of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. Besides having a striking appearance, LaBarge Rock is located in a picturesque riverside setting which has attracted artists and photographers over two centuries. Access is difficult; the pillar is located at Missouri River BLM mile-mark 56 in the White Cliffs section of the remote Missouri Breaks area of Montana. The pillar is composed of massive dark alkilik igneous rock, in striking contrast to the long white sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
cliffs that form its backdrop. Because of the isolation of the Missouri Breaks area LaBarge Rock and the White Cliffs appear today much as they did when seen by Lewis and Clark in 1804 on the outward leg of their journey of exploration.
Origin of Name
LaBarge Rock was named for Captain Joseph LaBarge(1815–1899) who was a famous pioneering steamboatSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
captain on the Missouri. He plied the upper Missouri river in Montana during the boom years of uper Missouri river travel. From 1859 to 1890 steamboat transportation between lower river ports in Missouri up to the head of navigation at Fort Benton, Montana Territory, was the common mode by which passengers and freight got to and from the mining camps and ranches of central and western Montana. Occasionally the land form is called La Barge Rock, an alternative spelling of Captain LaBarge's name.
Geologic Origin of LaBarge Rock and Similar Area Landforms
The pillar is fine grained alkalik igneous rocks, formed of dark minerals. Historically, the pillar was formed as an "intrusionIntrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
" during the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
to late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
geologic period (about 65 million years ago). At that time, the source rock material was heated to a fluid state deep in the earth and then it was injected by force upward into overlaying sedimentary "country rock" of white sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
.
At the time of the intrusion both the hot molten
Mölten
Mölten is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km north of Trento and about 12 km northwest of Bolzano .-Geography:...
rock and the recipient sedimentary rock were buried deep below the surface of the earth. As the molten liquid igneous rock (often referred to as "magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
") was forced upward and outward into the sedimentary rock, it displaced and cracked the surrounding rock structures. After intrusion the molten
Mölten
Mölten is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km north of Trento and about 12 km northwest of Bolzano .-Geography:...
liquid rock cooled and hardened. Where the molten rock liquid filled in horizontally between rock layers, it formed sills
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
; when it filled in vertical cracks it formed dikes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
; where the intrustion formed a blunt bullet shaped plug this was called a stock.
The material forming LaBarge Rock was injected in the form of a stock. Over geologic time crustal movement brought these injected igneous rocks to the surface of the earth. The darker, denser igneous material of the injected rock is more resistant to erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
than the surrounding softer white sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, so the harder igneous rock weathered out into distinctive land forms. The LaBarge Rock stock weathered out into the pillar shaped land form seen today.
In this area of the Missouri Breaks, along the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
there were other intrusive emplacements which have weathered out from the surrounding white sandstone/shale formations, forming promontory features of dikes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
and sills
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
, and stock. Along the river these features include LaBarge Rock, as well as Dark Butte, Citadel Rock, Grand Natural Wall, Pilot Rock and Steamboat Rock. The background of white sandstone/shale cliffs run along this stretch of the Missouri River for miles. North of the river, some of the natural features formed from intrusive rock are Eagle Buttes, Birdtail Butte and Chimney Rock.
Height of Rock Pillar Above River
The top of the pillar is at an elevation of 2647 feet. The top of the rock is at a height of 150 feet above the level of the river.LaBarge Rock In History
In their outward bound leg of the voyage of exploration, Lewis and Clark camped opposite LaBarge Rock on May 31, 1805, at the mouth of Eagle Creek This area, across the river from LaBarge Rock, is now a campground for boaters floating the Missouri, and is referred to as Eagle Creek campground or sometimes as LaBarge campground.LaBarge Rock As Part Of The White Cliffs Section Of The Missouri River Flowing Through The Missouri Breaks
LaBarge Rock is part of the White Cliffs (aka White Canyon or White Rocks) region of the Missouri, along with other natural features and cultural sites in this area. It is named for the extensive cliffs of white sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
/shale that appear on both banks of the river for long stretches. This section of the river is within the remote and isolated Missouri Breaks. Because of the White Cliffs' arresting appearance which received recent exposure from Stephen Ambrose's book on the Lewis and Clark's Expedition, "Undaunted Courage
Undaunted Courage
Undaunted Courage , written by Stephen Ambrose, is a 1996 biography of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The book is based on journals written by Lewis and Clark, along with other members of the expedition, and also offers additional insight into the travelers and...
", there have been growing numbers wishing to float this portion of the Missouri from Coal Banks Landing (BLM Mile 41) to Judith Landing (BLM Mile 88).
LaBarge Rock in Art
Karl BodmerKarl Bodmer
Karl Bodmer was a Swiss painter of the American West. He accompanied German explorer Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied from 1832 through 1834 on his Missouri River expedition...
(1809–1893) was a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who accompanied German explorer Prince Maximilian
Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied
Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist....
from 1832 through 1834 on his Missouri River expedition
Expedition
An expedition typically refers to a long journey or voyage undertaken for a specific purpose, often exploratory, scientific, geographic, military or political in nature...
in the then remote regions of the American west. He recorded images of Indian tribes and noteworthy sites. In August 1833 he made pencil drawings and water colors of LaBarge Rock which later became incorporated into Tableau 41 and Tableau 34. Tableau 41 focuses on LaBarge Rock, and is entitled "View of the Stone Walls on the Upper Missouri". Click on the preceding reference to view a photo of this artwork.
LaBarge Rock is directly across the river from the mouth of Eagle Creek. Thomas Hart Benton painted 'Lewis and Clark at Eagle Creek' in his unique style in 1967, but the angle of view of this painting is such that it does not depict LaBarge Rock, focusing instead on another view from Eagle Creek of the spectacle of the White Cliffs running along the river. Click on the preceding footnote to see a photo of this Benton painting. LaBarge Rock would be just out of the left edge of the painting.
LaBarge Rock is not easily accessible, as it exists along the Missouri River in the remote area of Montana known as the Missouri Breaks. Nevertheless, its appearance is so dramatic that it is often photographed by the people who float the river. An internet Google search of images for "LaBarge Rock" will reward the searcher with a variety of photographic views of the land form.
Impressions of Persons Viewing LaBarge Rock
Clay S. JenkinsonClay S. Jenkinson
Clay Straus Jenkinson is an American humanities Rhodes scholar, Danforth Scholar, and author.-Life:...
an American humanities Rhodes scholar, Danforth Scholar, and author had this impression on visiting LaBarge Rock.
- "Yesterday morning, we floated past the exact spot where Maximilian’s colleague, the Swiss watercolorist Karl Bodmer, painted what one historian has called “the most spectacular vista of the voyage.” It’s the image of the Stone Gates, off in the distance upriver, with a romantic castellated white bluff in the right foreground and a brown columnar monolith called La Barge on the left bank in the middle distance. (You can Google it). I turned just enough in my canoe to take a handful of photographs without tipping over.
- It was thrilling, beyond thrilling, to have gazed at that painting a hundred times over the years, to have written about it, and now to have camped literally IN the painting. And then, the morning after, to have turned around as we drifted down the Missouri River in canoes and to have seen precisely what Bodmer saw 177 years ago. The landscape is essentially unchanged. Think of that. That’s one reason they call Montana the last best place."
More succinctly the author of "A Float Down the White Cliffs Section of the Missouri River, July, 2002" described the LaBarge Rock area:
- "...outrageous...awesome..."
Getting To LaBarge Rock and Climbing to The Top Of The Rock
The site of LaBarge Rock is not easy to visit. It is in the White Cliffs section of the Missouri River. Back from each side of the river are sharply eroded badlandsBadlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
, part of the Missouri Breaks, that are so rough that roads through the breaks down to the river (and thus to specific sites along the river) are primitive and thinly distributed across a large area. However, opposite the site of LaBarge Rock, there is a campground that exists for boaters floating the river (referred to as Eagle Creek Campground or sometimes LaBarge Campground) that can be reached from the north and east bank by primitive dirt road, but this road crosses private land and access over that private land may be restricted. The most common way to visit the White Cliffs area, including LaBarge Rock is to float this section of the Missouri River. The White Cliffs section of the river may be boated in one long day trip, from Coal Banks Landing (BLM mile-mark 41) to Judith Landing (BLM mile-mark 88) if a motorized boat is utilized, or during a more relaxed float-and-paddle river expedition lasting several days. This float trip has become incrasingly popular in recent years.
LaBarge Rock may be climbed even by those who do not have technical rock climbing skills by taking gullies at the river's edge that lead up and around the side of the pillar to side away from the river, at which place there is reportedly enough erosion of the pillar that the top may be gained with some acceptable difficulty in climbing. This route is described in a book, "A River Calling", by Glenn Frontin.