When Lewis and Clark left Travelers' Rest on July 3, 1806, they separated with their parties as part of a plan made months earlier during the winter at Fort Clatsop. The captains believed they had determined the shortest route across the continent, with Travelers' Rest as a crucial point. Following a network of ancient routes leading to and from Travelers' Rest, they split again and again and reunited into new groups as they explored more of present day Montana while working to complete the mission given them by President Jefferson. The first of many splits on the journey home occurred when they left Travelers' Rest on July 3, 1806, and on August 12, 1806, the two groups reunited near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers before proceeding on to St. Louis.