York's Island Open For Recreation
 | Author:
Dee Gannon, MT43 News Correspondent
MT43 News Correspondent |
York's Island Open for Recreation Dee Gannon, MT43 News Correspondent Good news for fishermen and all recreation lovers, York’s Island Fishing Access is now open to those who want to dangle a line or use the boat ramp. Closed since December because of flooding and ice jams, the road is drying up but, watch out for the ruts!
Joann Moulton of Belgrade was there on Friday to do some fishing and let her dogs run. She hadn’t caught anything yet; but “it’s not about catching, it’s about fishing,” she stated. “I got here early before everyone else gets here. I dread the crowds that I know will come.”
She wasn’t the only one there, either. A truck with a boat trailer was parked along the road; undoubtedly, there were people on the river, as well as at the shore. A few other cars did ‘drive-bys’, so, they are probably anxious to do what they do there.
Heard tell that York’s Islands Access is an honest-to-gosh ‘neckers nob’. This reporter has no direct knowledge of this, but the area seems right, with multiple little roads, tall weeds and bushes.
Besides the reasons aforementioned for visiting York’s Islands, there are picnic tables and camping spots. Be sure and bring your bug dope; the mosquitos are even more plentiful and larger when the weather warms.
York’s Islands are a group of eight islands in the floodplain of the Missouri River, about four miles out of Townsend. It was discovered by the Corps of Discovery and noted in William Clark’s drawn maps of the area, named for Clark’s slave, York, who had been faithful on their journey. Although the name, ‘York’s 8 Islands’ was put on the 1805 map; the 22 acres of park was not officially named until 2000, when the U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved York’s Island.
Some information for this article was gleaned from umt.edu
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PhotoCredit: Dee Gannon
Image 1 Caption: York's Island Access
