Welcome to the Loma Montana Picture Tour
Loma Montana is our favorite boat launch to access the incredible Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. There something magical about floating the “Breaks.” If you are in a hurry, travel by canoe. If you are looking for a Huckleberry Finn adventure, then jump in a raft. The raft is slow but it’s large size makes navigating the Missouri River worry free. The town of Loma is your last chance to guzzle an icy-cold beverage and pickup any camping items you might have forgotten. Speaking items you might need on the float, consider adding a large heavy duty umbrella and thirty feet of sturdy nylon strap or rope. The shade from the umbrella will protect your brains from baking in the mid-day sun. When the afternoon winds “kicks up,” the umbrella makes an ideal makeshift “Sail” to fly down the Missouri River. A strong rope or nylon strap comes in handy to battle the wind. It’s great to secure your tent while camping or it comes in handy when you have fight a “headwind.” On one trip, we only made progress by pulling the raft downstream with a rope. Of course, we could have just found a shady spot and waited for the wind to die down but that makes for a “dull” river story. Don’t forget, if you are returning to Loma after the long float why not celebrate with a dinner at the famous Ma’s Loma Cafe, they stay open until 9 pm.
Area History
The introduction of the Great Northern Railway also extended the telegraph system. The telegraph was a means to send and receive long-distance messages over copper wire, by using coded electrical current impulses. The Morse Code for the letters LOMA (LOwer MArias) is: “L” dot dash dot dot “O” dash dash dash “M” dash dash “A” dot dash
In 1976, a 149-mile segment of Montana’s Upper Missouri from Fort Benton to The James Kipp Recreation Area was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. In 2001, this majestic river and portions of its adjacent, rugged uplands was designated as the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. Need more information? Below is the link to the BLM River Guide. https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/Boaters%20Guide%202017%20508%20COMPL.pdf
Marias River Meets The Missouri
On the evening of June 2, 1805 the Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery arrived at the mouth of an unknown river flowing from the north. The two rivers were nearly equal in size. Which was the true Missouri River? The captains decided to explore both forks. On June 4, Lewis went up the north branch and Clark journeyed south. After several day of exploration the Captains decided the south fork was the true Missouri. The north fork was named for Maria Wood, a cousin of Captain Lewis. If you would like to see where Captain Lewis ventured northwest, just click on the Heart Butte Picture Tour.
Collins Schoolhouse
The Collins Schoolhouse (pictured below) is a memorable landmark between Great Falls and Havre. The school was named for the landowner who donated the property. It was owned by the Loma School District until 1948 and it likely served as a schoolhouse until the 1920s. Farmers hit tough times in that era and many left their homesteads. Soon, Collins School was no longer needed. The school remained an important fixture in the community, serving as a community hall and election polling place. The school district sold Collins School to a private individual in 1948 and Gar Wood bought the building about 40 to 45 years ago. In 2019, The community of Loma received grant to put toward stabilizing the Collins Schoolhouse for future generations to admire.* *https://www.mthistory.org/i-g-baker-house-collins-school-receive-montana-history-foundation-grants/
