BitterrootSites.com is
primarily dedicated to promoting local web sites.
However, we don't want to leave out the numerous physical sights
that one can see in only a short drive.
Read on to get an idea of what you're in for.
The Alta Pine may be found 17 miles south on the West Fork
Road above Darby. It is the largest Ponderosa pine tree in the Bitterroot National
Forest. It has reached the end of its lifespan, dying after a lightning-caused fire several years ago.
However, it will doubtless stand for another century, providing a
home for numerous forest creatures. The tree is in a grove a short
way off the trail and can be reached by a
handicapped-accessible trail. The pine has a huge blaze on
one side, left there 500 years ago by Native Americans who were
marking a trail through the area. It was a seedling during the
European Crusades to the Holy Land an a mature tree when
Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Alta Ranger Station,
19 miles south on the West Fork Road from
U.S. 93, was the first ranger station in
the United States.
It was constructed in 1899 by
Than Wilkerson and H.C. Tuttle who used
cross-cut saws and axes in the
construction. They also made a
long round-trip to Grantsdale near
Hamilton to haul in a window for the
cabin, metal hinges for the door and the
first American flag ever to fly over a
ranger station in the United States. When Alta Ranger Station
was established, the now-deserted community of Alta was a gold mining
camp with a population of about 500
miners living in tents and working Hughes
Creek. Many traces of that mining activity are
still visible.
The Marcus
Daly Mansion is about two miles north of
Hamilton on the Eastside Highway. It was
home to the family of Copper King Marcus
Daly and was the centerpiece of his stock
farm and horse racing operation. The
house is a beautiful example of turn-of-the-century
architecture. It was a remarkable
achievement when it was built in the
valley, still part of the frontier at
that time, and was quite a sight to
behold by farmers and homesteaders of the
era. Daly was attracted to the Bitterroot
by its pastoral beauty and by the supply
of timber which he needed to shore up his
mines at Butte and feed the fires of his
copper smelter at Anaconda. The mansion
was a summer home for members of his
family and used until 1947. It now is
owned by the state of Montana and is open
to the public during the summer seven
days a week. The house and the grounds
are equally beautiful and guided tours of
the mansion are available daily. Also, a
number of summer events are scheduled
there each year. For more information,
call Doug Johnson at 406.363.6004. Open 7
days/week April 15 - October 15.
The historic Darby
Ranger Station across Highway 93 from the
Darby Elementary School has been restored
to its 1930s era condition when it was
the district office. It features displays
of Forest Service memorabilia from its
earliest days and is staffed by
volunteers. It offers visitor information
as well as maps and educational material
for those wishing to enjoy the Bitterroot
National Forest. It is open throughout
the summer season.
The Darby Historic Visitor
Center, located on U.S. Highway 93 in Darby across from
the elementary school, just south of Darby Ranger Station, is
now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
ranger station features displays of Forest Service memorabilia
from the 1930s and 1940s and offers visitor information services
on other valley attractions, as well as wood permits, maps,
day-use passes for Lake Como and campground information. Summer
hours starting June 1 through the end of November are 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. For
more information call 821-3913.
The 1877 Nez Perce Indian
scare prompted settlers to build this shelter. Just north
of Corvallis was a sod fort (later called Fort Skededdle)
completed July 29 and occupied by 12 families and 6 single
men. Settlers remained camped in the fort until the Big
Hole battle ended. Today, a stone marker with a bronze
plaque marks the site.
Fort Owen, just north
of Stevensville, was established by Major
John Owen in the middle 1800s and is open
daily. It was never a military fort but
was a bustling trade center for a number
of years. There are no guided tours of
the fort but self-guided tours are available all
year. Brochures are available
along with interpretive displays in the
buildings. The educational materials
describe the early history of the
Stevensville area and the fort.
Fort
Skalkaho
The 1877 Nez Perce Indian
scare prompted settlers to build this shelter. Fort
Skalkaho (Fort Run) was near Golf Course Road east of
Hamilton. Settlers remained camped in the fort until the
Big Hole battle ended. Today, a stone marker with a bronze
plaque marks the site.
Lake Como Recreation Area is the premier
recreation destination for many valley residents and visitors.
Located between Hamilton and Darby, just three miles off U. S.
Highway 93, the lake is a perfect spot for evening picnics or
week-long getaways. There is a protected swimming beach, day-use
picnic areas, a boat launch, campgrounds with water and
restrooms, a handicapped accessible trailhead and miles of roads
and trails for hiking, horseback riding and dirt biking. Lake
Como was named by early-day settler W. B. Harlan, who was
reminded of a painting of Lake Como in Italy when he first saw
the lake. The Native American name was "lake of the White
Moose" for albino moose which were seen near its shores. In
recent times, albino deer have been seen at lake. All vehicles
parked at the lake must display a recreation pass as Lake Como
is a U. S. Forest Service day-use fee test area. Campground fees
are in addition to the parking pass. Recreation passes are
available at any Bitterroot National Forest Office and from some
convenience stores and gas stations in surrounding towns. Passes
are $2 per day or $20 per season for those under the age of 62
and $1 a day or $10 per season for those over 62. For more
information contact the Darby District Ranger Station at
821-3913.
The Medicine Tree is
four miles south of Conner on U.S.
Highway 93. The tree has been a sacred
site for the Salish-Kootenai tribes for
many generations and tribal members still
make regular pilgrimages to the tree,
leaving personal tokens such as scarves
and feathers. The visits, however, are
private. According to legend, on March 11,1824,
Alexander Ross discovered the skull and
horns of a bighorn ram half imbedded in
the tree about five feet off ground. No
sign of the bones remain today, however.
The Lee Metcalf
National Wildlife Refuge is north of
Stevensville on Wild Fowl Lane. Its 3,000
acres of land and ponds are home to
dozens of species of waterfowl and other
wildlife. It was established 33 years ago
and was named for former Stevensville
resident, the late Sen. Lee Metcalf.
Metcalf was a member of the Migratory
Bird Conservation Commission that was
instrumental in acquiring land for the
refuge. The wildlife refuge is open year-round
and is a popular bird-watching area. Wild
Fowl Lane passes many ponds and there are
walking trails and picnic areas
available, as well. The refuge attracts
deer, pheasants, osprey, Canada geese,
songbirds, ducks and other waterfowl and
is a favorite area for wildlife
photographers. One interesting feature of
the Metcalf Refuge is the shared nesting
of geese and osprey. A number of Canada
geese hatch out their goslings in the
early spring in osprey nests in the top
of dead trees on the refuge. They
evacuate the nests just in time for the
return of the osprey which then use the
nests for themselves and to hatch out and
raise their families.
Painted Rocks Lake is a
man-made reservoir 20 miles south of Darby on Montana Highway
473. The lake was an irrigation project that put hundreds of men
to work in 1935 and 1936. The lake displaced the original West
Fork Ranger Station and several homesteads, and when the water
is low, the original road bed and bridge foundations can be seen
in the lake. The lake now offers boating, fishing, camping,
hiking and other recreational opportunities and is a major
storage system of Bitterroot Valley irrigation water. There are
campgrounds, boat launches and restrooms.
Pioneer
Memorial Museum in Darby is in a log cabin that
dates back more than 105 years. The
building was donated to Darby by the
Matteson family and moved from the banks
of Tin Cup Creek to the town's Main
Street behind the library. The museum has
a turn-of-the-century parlor, complete
with organ and gramophone, a trapper's
cabin with traps on the wall, and a bear
skin on the floor. The original Darby
telephone switchboard also is displayed.
The museum is open throughout the summer
from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 406.821.3753
The Ravilli County
Historical Museum on the comer of Bedford
and Second streets in Hamilton is a fine
example of government buildings designed
by architect A. J. Gibson. It formerly
was the Ravalli County Courthouse and now
holds impressive collections of antique
valley household, commercial, scientific
and military items. One of the especially
interesting displays features the
scientists and researchers who discovered
the cause of several tick-borne diseases
at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in
Hamilton.
Skalkaho Falls is east of
Hamilton on MT Highway 38. This breathtaking waterfall can
be viewed close up from the road. The trip is well worth
it, however the scenic gravel road is only open during the
summer and fall. Beyond the falls you can visit the
Skalkaho Game Preserve.
The Stevensville
Historical Museum in one of the town's
historic houses is near the south end of
Main Street. It houses collections of
photos and items from Stevensville's past
and is open throughout the summer,
Memorial Day to Labor Day. There are
special displays about schools,
pharmacies, households, families, the
military, agriculture, logging and
pioneer days. A particularly popular
item, especially with children, is a
human skeleton from one early-day drug
store.
Tours available Memorial
Day through Labor Day Monday, Thursday - Saturday 11-5, Sunday
1-5. 406.777.1007
Saint Mary's Mission,
the cradle of early settlement on the
Montana frontier, was established in 1841
at the request of the Salish Indians. It
was founded by Jesuit missionary Pierre
DeSmet. The mission chapel is on the west
side of Stevensville, along with
outbuildings, a park and an orchard
established originally by Father Anthony
Ravalli. The county is the namesake of
the popular priest. The chapel, Chief
Victor's house, Ravalli's residence and
Pharmacy all have been restored - the
chapel in the Italian style created by
Ravalli. It is open every day and guided
tours of the buildings are available
daily through the summer season. There
also is a new guest center and gift shop
on the mission grounds as well as picnic
areas with tables in the adjoining DeSmet
Park. A museum containing many Indian
artifacts also is on the mission grounds.
St. Mary's was not only the first church
and white settlement in Montana, it also
was home to the first grist mill, the
first agriculture, the first school, and
the first flour mill in the state.
The Mission is located at
the West end of 4th Street in Stevensville. Open hours are
April 15 - October 15, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Guided tours
($3/Adults, $1/Students) 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call
406.777.5734
Tammany Castle on
Tammany Lane about one mile south of the
Daly Mansion is the luxurious brick
stable built as a special home for Marcus
Daly's race horses. It was named for his
favorite - Tammany -- who was one of
Daly's big winners in many races in this
country. Tammany Castle is not open to
the public but can be seen and
photographed from Tammany Lane. Although
not restored, the stable remains an
example of the architecture of the late
1890s.
The 1,300 acre Teller Wildlife Refuge, nestled between Corvallis and the Bitterroot
River, was established by conservarionist/philanthropist Otto
Teller. The historic Slack homestead, which was built in the
1860s, is a part of the refuge and is used for many of the
activities there, which include wine tastings, harvest
festivals, plow days featuring teams of horses and mules and
antique farm machinery. For more information about the refuge
call 961-3707.
Trapper Peak is the highest
peak in the Bitterroot Mountain Range, rising to 10,157 feet
above sea level at the summit. A hiking trail takes adventurous
climbers to the peak, where they may enter their names in a
record book. The climb is steep and the top of the mountain
carries a residual cap of snow year-round. According to the
Darby Ranger Station, the best way to reach the trailhead is by
driving south of Darby on U.S. 93 for 4.1 miles, turning west
and driving 11.5 miles to Lavene Creek, and turning right again.
Follow the gravel road for .6 miles to a junction. Take the left
fork and follow the sign pointing to Troy Creek and Trapper
Peak. Climb this road four miles to the trailhead, which lies
just past a switchback. This trailhead is simply a wide spot
with parking for a few cars.
The Victor Heritage
Museum is on the corner of Blake and Main
in Victor and occupies the historic
Victor Depot building. It contains collections of community-related exhibits
and an extensive display of early-day
railroad artifacts. It is open daily 1-4 through Labor
Day.
The Victor Stage
Stop north of town on Meridian Road was
built in 1868. The historic log building
was a mail stop for mail wagons traveling
between Salmon, Idaho and Missoula and
was owned by Oscar Clark. Gen. O. Gibbons
reportedly stayed at the stage stop for
10 days as he recruited troops to follow
Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe into
the Big Hole. The stage stop can be seen
from Meridian Road but is not open to the
public.
Database last updated
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tours of the buildings are available
daily through the summer season. There
also is a new guest center and gift shop
on the mission grounds as well as picnic
areas with tables in the adjoining DeSmet
Park. A museum containing many Indian
artifacts also is on the mission grounds.
St. Mary's was not only the first church
and white settlement in Montana, it also
was home to the first grist mill, the
first agriculture, the first school, and
the first flour mill in the state.
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