LaBarge Rock

LaBarge Rock in Chouteau 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 (46 m) from waters' edge of the Missouri River. It was named in honor of Captain Joseph LaBarge, a steamboat captain who cruised the Missouri River in the mid nineteenth century. 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.