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Home , Bison Range, Chief Mountain, Crowsnest Lake (Alberta), Crowsnest Mountain, Crowsnest River, Etzikom Coulee

Crown of the Continent: The Living Heritage IN THE STEVEN GNAM

GEOLOGIC GRANDEUR top a snow-dusted peak in October, a friend and I hear an bugle. Scanning meadows below with For millions of years, ancient sea- variety of plants and animals. Transboundary Flathead E-3 Triple Divide Peak F-5 d’Oreille stories, can be seen beds were twisted, folded, and lifted Unbounded by dams, dikes, or Get an early start for a long day-hike to in huge ripple marks in Camas Prairie. binoculars, I spot instead a silver-tipped , D-3 diversions, this meandering flood- this three-faceted jeweled spire, divid- A by the tectonic crush of Pacific and Prepare for bracing winds at adjoining Mission Mountains Wilderness plain ecosystem is known as the ing Rocky Mountain waters among the flexing its massive shoulder hump to excavate glacier lilies. North American plates. Successive lakes where clashing Pacific and Arctic Areas I-4 “This is his place,” my friend says. “He owns this country.” North Fork Flathead in Saskatchewan River’s amble to Hudson ice ages then plowed through rela- air masses funnel through a mountain and simply as the Flathead in Bay, the Missouri-Mississippi’s slide to Rugged hikers scale ragged peaks Indeed, while we have eliminated grizzlies in so many tively soft limestone layers to carve gap along the Continental Divide, caus- . Grizzly bears, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Columbia’s jutting 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) places, a robust population freely roams the Crown of the river valleys, leaving behind dark ing abrupt transitions in tree species, , and radiate plunge to the Pacific Ocean. above valley floors in adjoining wil- forests and deep pockets of fresh wildflowers, and birdlife. Water from from this wild, remote valley. derness areas managed by the U.S. Continent, from mountaintops and plunging valleys to Dinosaur Center H-7 flows east to Hudson Venture on these rough roads with Forest Service and Confederated water that endure today as glaciated See hatchling bones from a fossil nest fescue prairies and cedar rain forests. Bay. Adjacent empties spare tires and a patient attitude. Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Portions Think of these magnificent bears as wary sentinel of lakes. The prairie meets the moun- westward toward the Pacific Ocean. and join in active dinosaur digs along of the tribal wilderness are closed to tains at dramatic escarpments along The Nature Conservancy of Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. humans when grizzlies congregate to change. For millennia they watched over people who Coal Mine Tours C-2 and D-3 the Rocky Mountain Front where ’s Front E-4 feed on alpine insects. Chill in the Bellevue Underground Mine Glacial I-3 honored their power. The Ktunaxa called to the bear spirit THE CHINESE WALL, MT Prairie and mountain ecosystems ranchers and conservationists have STEVEN GNAM 1 During the last ice age, 13,000 where the tunnel’s breeze stays a clasp like fingers where ranches bor- J-6 for guidance and protection, while Blackfoot traditions joined to protect vast expanses for to 15,000 years ago, an ice dam in a constant 7°C (45°F). Or visit the enor- collapse that buried 90 sleeping resi- der the national park. A visitor centre The massive limestone cliffs of tell of the Medicine Grizzly who rescues and nourishes a restored populations of wildlife. narrow canyon in northern Idaho periodi- mous open-pit coal mines, still active in dents, drive the unpaved track through and nature trail at Waterton Springs Scapegoat Mountain anchor the cally gave way, releasing raging torrents young boy. Explorers David Thompson, Meriwether Lewis, Weather systems converge over and , B.C. the rubble, running west from the main Campground describe how cowboys and Chinese Wall, a geologic reef in the from a 2,000-foot-deep (610 meters) lake and William Clark learned the ancient wisdom of mutual these mountains—Pacific, arctic and Hillcrest access road. See the full pan- environmentalists conserve grasslands Complex. The D-3 in . The legacy of these continental—magnifying the value orama of the 1903 disaster from the for livestock and wildlife. Scapegoat was added to the “Bob” respect the hard way. After several violent confronta- For an intimate view of the mountain Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. floods, which are recalled in Salish-Pend through citizen advocacy in 1972. tions, provoked by nonlethal musket fire, en route to these of many geologic niches for a great mountains, Lewis determined to live and let live: “I find 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS 22X 901 that the curiossity of our party is pretty well satisfyed with 116° K R 115° 114° 113° 11870 ft Mt. Assiniboine 2A E 3618 m Bo rispect to this anamal.” (Mokinists w CA 1 is Sis i) NA Decades before the appearance of [Elbow tachta DI Riv AN WAY From their silent perches, grizzlies witnessed the first er] PACIFIC RAIL fur traders, missionaries and discov- K K trains cross Crowsnest and Marias Passes, followed by o 11175 ft S erers, their impact arrived as waves A o o 3406 m KMt. Sir Douglas he EOkotoks A t ep e settlers to populate the , and o n 40 of disease decimated native popula- a EBlack y Lower Kananaskis Diamond Flathead and Elk Valleys. By the turn of the 20th century, tions on the plains and in mountain E t 24 C Lake o Radium Hot Springs l e Upper Kananaskis the bear’s outlook dimmed as wildlife was slaughtered valleys. Westside tribes tolerated u Lake O m E n 22 23 early trading posts and religious b i 2 across the continent. Here, however, grizzlies persevered a C a K los E ed in E missions, although the Blackfoot Invermere 11250 ft Mt. Joffre w Longview into a new era of wildlife restoration, wilderness desig- 3429 m in y t nations were less accommodating er Lake Windermere Whiteway 541 Bar U Ranch National nation, and cross-border stewardship. Today, they are a K Historic Site McGregor on the east slopes. Military forces d Lake Windermere Lake 9128 ft o R Mt. Head 2782 m o C source of fierce local pride and the namesake of many w O Columbia W played both sides of the new order, igh a H B businesses and festivals. E O subduing pockets of Indian resis- Y

Fairmont Hot Springs n B C T B As the great silvertip disappears into the forest that tance while restraining whiskey trad- R

Courcelette Peak K A I g 9987 ft L TRANSBOUNDARY FLATHEAD, BC AND MT BORDER

ers who exploited social breakdown. Columbia 3044 m ( GARTH LENZ bright October afternoon, I am the observer, humble and h i Lake e C s E 93 ’ k t Champion ( akisqn uk) l O o The wholesale slaughter of native N r

grateful that such a place may yet be found. E i

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wildlife, especially , and the E u 23 E o N Reservoir Cross-country ski area

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i v — Steve Thompson, writer, Whitefish, MT introduction of cattle and railroads er (Ka intak) L E i n I Historical site

s [no known translation] g V D i n s I Carmangay Josephine Falls D IV g solidified the transition to a new u E ID Museum ) s L A 3-km (2-mi) stroll leads to a 25-m (83-ft) E t 2 o P 112°W GRIZZLY BEAR society with a different economy. tumble of foaming water set in a secluded canyon K n Natural or scenic area DENNIS DONOHUE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM o E e EClaresholm 50°N Elkford r 50°N Outdoor recreation BRITISH c W Barons E Bar U Ranch National Historic Site B-3 Tornado il K Oldman u l World Heritage site Mountain 10167 ft (Napiotsistachtai) o Keho L. The Bar U Ranch spills eastward from Elk 3099 m p w COLUMBIA [Old Man’s River] C i C (Mo kins sti) Tribal name C Top of the World (Natokiokos Sistachtai) re 36 LOCATION AND VISITOR INFORMATION the across the roll- n e 93 Provincial Park k Kootenay , [Two Medicine Lodges River] e E [] Tribal name translation ing grasslands of Alberta’s Highway 22 95 (Wu u aqlsmaknik akinmituk) E Nobleford ld [River Water People] Granum O m L a w H n Adminstered by UNESCO, the World Heritage REGIONAL AIRPORTS TOURISM RESOURCES Cowboy Trail. Transport yourself to an (Sqlsewlk~ ) i 118° Longitude West 116° of Greenwich 114° e Valley v 3 List recognizes the most significant cultural 112° s E [Kootenai Waters] i i b r 22 Alberta Birds of E b12 E n and natural treasures on the planet. International Airport E Coronation Travel Alberta era when horse-drawn chuck wagons Wasa E o k Sunset Ridge l Taber Innisfail g Consort H e 3 Prey Centre l e Ski Trails Y 52° Kinbasket Kimberley Nordic s Albers Conic Equal-Area Projection b93 d r s YYC travelalberta.com t followed cattle drives on sprawling, l Mud L. E See wild raptors between

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Lake i Coalhurst Olds Club Coal Mine Tours o Standard Parallels 47° and 50° Hanna ESparwood E rescue and release. BANFF a E Crowsnest n Calgary, Alberta C a2 open-range ranches staked by investors W The Fort (Museum of the Horsefly L. SCALE 1:1,077,000 o a9 Kimberley KMountain e E Coaldale l b21 Kootenay Rockies Tourism E Allison-Chinook Cross-Country ELethbridge Reservoir North West Mounted Police) u NATIONAL 9138 ft Chin Lakes yyc.com E Sullivan Mine Interpretive Centre R South Livingstone (Sik-ooh-kotok) m a1 YOHO ELake Louise Drumheller in Montréal. Ski Trails 2785 m

b R a PARK kootenayrockies.com Ride open railcars into rock tunnels where Raptor Watch Site Main Street Fort Macleod [Black Coal] ia GoldenE NAT. Airdrie E ed . GLACIER Cochrane D miners demonstrate theirE trade underground. bPARK BanffE E e BAR U RANCH, AB Crowsnest Pass Provincial Historic Area NAT. 95 G e 3 Crowsnest CONSULTANTS: DORAN DEGENSTEIN, FORT WHOOP-UP Glacier Park International PARK E Strathmore r DEB PIGEON / E Fort Steele E Canmore a1 E E b36 Tourism Fernie & Visitor Information for Fort Steele Heritage Town Visit Alberta's oldest theatre—the Empress— NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (WHOOP-UP TRAIL ROUTE); KOOTENAY Pass Oldman Revelstoke Calgary Wycliffe E 3 for films, performing arts, and daily tours. 4 ANDREAS N. KORSOS, ARCTURUS CONSULTING (DAVID Airport FCA/GPI NATIONAL 95A Frank Slide River Res. E Fernie, British Columbia Cranbrook History E ) THOMPSON ROUTES) Bassano F Bellevue i PARK Okotoks E Centre Hillcrest a Kalispell, Montana C Bow Cowley EBrocket t o) o E TourismFernie.com h y o 5 Stirling L. 36 E Cemetery Underground c ] k ] C L. l Turner Valley E E Fernie Nordic Ski Areas Heritage Acres a r r r o Upper u High River Brooks Cranbrook t e s e u D E l Mine is v a i iv E lee D iflyglacier.com m E i P R Arrow Invermere Cranbrook South Star Heiko’s Trail Farm Museum S R M Stirling n i a e b [ a s . i h Lake E Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance T Fernie Crowsnest o f t i Nanton ALBERTA E Recreation Area ( a t n t w Kootenai Brown E i e x a Ralston M K E r i g E 3 (Maistoesas e a S o Nakusp o t K h E n BRITISH y a ( t i a 3 l Pioneer Village i) C a a 2 albertasouthwest.com P W ta a g Elk k Sistachtai) b93 95 C y k h Airport YQL E M t ( Stand Off a Vauxhall c 93 o ac n P h O t a COLUMBIA Claresholm E i l [Raven Lodge is ( E

E n i M m b95 i S [ ) W is Magrath s ] 50° t a er a G e a Slocan River] t n iv Lethbridge, Alberta B n Wardner r h R 2 a o e i D O m ] t a Needles ld E Montana Office of Tourism O en L. E c r u t s i i Y u a3 Galloway c K k lethbridgeairport.ca Lower Kimberley Crowsnest E Tabor Syncline Cross- K Ft. Macleod E d ( [ n E l ( e r T a Arrow a6 G visitmt.com [ Pass Q o E E Lethbridge C R Belly St. Mary B GFt. Steele Moyie l o Country Trails u [ Lake Kootenay A o a t E E I Reservoir E E y n e Lake Lake i F a L Nelson n o ) k Fernie Pincher Creek E k Jensen o a t l 4 a o v e Missoula International Airport E r Glacier Country Travel Information a Waterton b E a m Reservoir an Elko a5 E Kokanee Elko i 6 Castlegar Cr WATERTON Milk r s t d Reservoir 62 K E E i h 5 b95 Lake LAKES Milk River Salmon Runs l S k C glaciermt.com i e MSO o Moyie a a3 d t S a o NAT. PARK t a Koocanusa i k CANADA t n s e y i d g M Missoula, Montana n t n Orient i l GLACIER E T k e E a EEureka Babb R a Central Montana Travel Information h u

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flymissoula.com Bonners n l15 R e ¢ Remington Carriage r e a ) R Es2 e Ferry t NATIONAL t89 centralmontana.com a ] The Nature Conservancy of Museum

EColville Priest o t93 E s2 Shelby n E k o E Milk River Franklin E Browning n a Canada’s Waterton Park Front il L. West Glacier E g E M w395 K E Delano E PARK East Glacier Park E g n Mt. 5 E Libby Whitefish Maria E ( W e 9645 ft Mountain Roosevelt Sandpoint E G s Grasmere [Water apakil Above ha is as s E E Southwest Montana Travel Information e i 2940 m KBlakiston International Airport YXC E Kalispell Hungry Conrad Clear as it Sounds]g g View Newport t s2 t89 93 w t95 L. Pend Horse Res. E southwestmt.com Lake a Police Outpost Shanks L. Cranbrook, British Columbia 48°N C m e Flathead Bynum Transboundary Provincial Park E Oreille la Teton Koocanusa Del Bonita E r Lake Cranbrook History Centre D-1 k) Flathead Coutts 49° flycanadianrockies.com k RoosvilleE CANADA Upper Waterton E E Spokane 49° E Carway E E F E Kalispell Convention & Visitors Coeur d'Alene k Polson MONTANA Hints of dining car flirtations and parlour W Lake 17 Sweetgrass G . G Port of UNITED STATES Waterton Boat Tours Road closed in winter W 6983 ft E E ) E Augusta H Coeur Wallace Ronan e West Butte K2128 m E g200 Bureau 9080 ft O WASH. g Great car cigar smoke haunt the vintage trains Roosville h t Kintla Lake 10466 ft Great Falls International Lamona l90 d'Alene L. w287 u K 2767 m KChief Mountain O S Falls o O K3190 m P w discoverkalispell.com i L (h r 10101 ft Kintla (Ninastako) - e e83 I is U [ e Mt. Brown Airport GTF E waiting forever at the Cranbrook History BUFF TRA toric 3079 m Mt. Cleveland Blo t K w395 t93 Seeley Lake g200 ALO COW Peak [Chief Mountain] P E od (K G 6958 ft, 2121 m t Sunburst u r E T C w195 Rexford E lo t o a s Eureka k R t s Ritzville t95 l90 Creek E Centre. A self-guided heritage walking Bowman 89 Duck L. il i) Mo Y i i H i l l s Great Falls, Montana A e E Ta unta S i k s) G M ah I ins Tobacco Valley 464 T L o ColfaxE E Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau N Lake Road closed i er] r S

IDAHO Missoula 508 Babb i iv weet R ( flygtf.com tour of nearby Baker Hill District and y le Pine Hills] Hooper Historical Village f . tt h 15 E E in winter o i

E Nasukoin F 213 i L s E explorewhitefish.com Lower (P [ Pullman Moscow Helena B Canyon i o Quartz L. t

historic downtown completes the grand o Drummond KMountain r St. Mary E Ferry k Lake r E 8036 ft Lake i EOrofino s c F E Clarkston E Deer Lodge Lake railway experience of yesteryear. E 2465 m HIGHLINE TRAIL Sherburne 444 TRAIN E Polebridge . r l15 E Fortine l D t12 E o Lewiston Destination Missoula Convention & Visitors h a R St. Mary E u E Townsend t Logging L. N Waitsburg Hamilton t Amtrak Empire Builder Ant Flat Ranger Station h U E t95 E 6646 ft -S St. Mary Lake e Dixie Bureau F e E ) F t93 Anaconda Butte Fort Steele Heritage Town D-1 a Logan Pass L2025 m O-TH (Pah Tompks Sii Kimii) (stations in Whitefish, East EClearwater E Short nature trail touches an old -T 46° G R d GOING [Lake Inside] E l90 G destinationmissoula.org Rescued pioneer-era structures, railroad camp and a preserved E Glacier Park, and West Grangeville ranger station Stryker Glacier Boat Tours E a Mt. Brown K U Cut Bank Creek Bozeman summer street theatre, and grazing S 93 Alpine section of road E Glacier) Lake n Lake McDonald 8565 ft 37 . 2611 m closed in winter Cut Bank lm Clydesdales recall Fort Steele Heritage 567 (Ya kil Haqwilnamki) Triple Divide 2 amtrak.com/empire EEnterprise e Sa on a Dog Creek g E k [Where They Dance] Peak 89 Browning a Nordic Center Glacier E E w287 Town’s origins as an outpost of the Blackfoot -builder-train OREGON n Dillon Koocanusa l e E w191 2 Belton Depot Boat Tours S Salmon Visit crownofthecontinent.natgeotourism.com EShelby l15 North West Mounted Police who came i Glacier Natural Park Conservancy revives KMt. Stimson YELLOWSTONE WestE Glacier 10142 ft 2 0mi 25 50 to learn more about the Crown of the former Great Northern passenger stop 3091 m icine l84 t EMcCall NATIONAL PARK to tame itinerant gold seekers from s 49 d 0 km 25 50 t95 Road closed e asi) M K Continent and this spectacular landscape. Big Mountain Nordic Trails, o iver] h in winter E o y s R America’s wilder West. Whitefish Lake East Glacier Park Tw i ce Glacier Nordic Center K n 89 ato da E (N un Libby Whitefish THEODORE o S Y F E F ROOSEVELT [Tw ( M s Hillcrest Cemetery D-3 Dam WA E Ky ia tai) Fisher AIL Great Northern 40 l INTERNATIONAL ai ar ch R l Hungry Horse 2 N HIGHWAY o Sista N a a 2 [B er] The 189 coal miners who died in R Railroad Depot Columbia Four Horns L. ear Riv FIRST PEOPLES, TWO COUNTRIES E t ) t 5220 ft H

K Falls Marias Pass E 44

T 1591 m L Valier Hillcrest Mine’s 1914 explosion are A h 206 h G R R C G ‘ M ( E O T S O N M [ e e N Heart Butte REAT E T D G (A I LEWIS buried in mass graves, grouped accord- n n a a Izaak Walton Inn N Lake Frances A EN V o d d T l Hungry Horse d A (return route) Despite an international line and I 2 Goat Lick / Niitsitapi Séliš (Salish) / Qlispé (Pend d’Oreille) 93 o L ing to the religious cultures of the D

( f a Ashley L. D l T V Overlook a t u h Reservoir R I E These are the traditional territories of the Our tribes, the easternmost in the Salish H n 35 V national policies that divided families E e I Dupuyer mostly young and immigrant men. d a 56 O p D L a E E r l Jewel Basin Blackfoot, going back thousands of years. All language family, occupied most of central M n a Conrad and toppled traditional governance, o Kalispell k á l n u P e ) e Hiking Area M of this is sacred: lakes and rivers, the forest, and western Montana, northern Idaho, and t Middle Fork Heritage Acres Farm Museum D-4 e SO t ] y g idd the first peoples of the Crown of the ) N Little Bitterroot E Bigfork Community le For the prairie, the mountains where our people eastern Washington. In the traditional way of Kila e k As you tour the log house, general Lake 82 Nordic Center F Continent have maintained cultural E a l EPendroy go for vision quests. The water starts from life, we moved across this vast area gathering, E at 219 Marion Somers E T h store, photographic red barn, and other i ea MONTANA ties, languages, and inter-tribal coop- this place and flows to the ocean from our , and fishing the abundant and varied Bigfork d D E structures of this late 19th-century to AV 2 n E Brady eration across borders. Historically, land. Today, the biggest issue for the Black- plants and animals. We still practice these ID Lakeside 35 Swan Lake‚ 48°

48° (w T ˇ~ ´ S Spotted Bear Ranger Station

early 20th-century homestead, you’ll at H s (Slaqi Clqli) E foot nations is clean drinking water and our le- traditional ways as we strive to keep our e ‘ Bynum tribal territories shifted and over- r O 200 ‘ Old and weathered, but still-active r M Flathead [Sweathouse Lake] o P Blacktail Mountain backcountry ranger station gal water rights. We continue to negotiate with critically endangered language alive. Today, see a vast collection of restored pioneer u (Nasuqut) Two Medicine lapped, but at European contact the re- t S Lake Bynum Reservoir e O Nordic Trails [no known translation] Dinosaur Center ) L w L N ˇ~’ E the government to protect our water. We the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes [ i (Clq´etk ) w artifacts. For special events, volunteers Noxon S E 15

gion was dominated by three linguistic t i) H o n a H ( t Rollins [Broad Water] ‘ Swan o takt understand that we ultimately are responsible integrate our cultural values and heritage Reservoir m Q l e t is l e Te S r] demonstrate early farming methods and e y ˘ ˘ s e B ’ . Lake i iv groups. Long the great warriors of the th e (Yawu nik A kuqnuk) ik R L i S st for the protection of our territory, water, and into an advanced program of environmental n S i n a E g w u e t . W e [Monster Lake] r

fire up vintage machinery such as the - t E B w a F M I f E ( [ S eastern slopes, the Blackfoot Confed- r e Elmo Choteau ( the retention of our language and culture. and natural resource management on the e l ~ r o r s k Old Trail Museum e t w r r i

steam-powered sawmill. h u o Teton Courthouse

k — Earl Old Person, Chief of the Blackfeet ) r

eracy includes the Piikani, Siksika, Flathead Reservation and throughout our W Marine Trail o n

Wild Horse Island A a 28 ,

F s Reimagine 1906 in original gallery

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MULE DEER IN BEAR GRASS, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT t ˇ ´ o Nation, MT e (Ctise m) M ˇ [ n

aboriginal territories for the benefit of future l r (

and Blood/Kainai Nations in Alberta TONYBYNUM.COM P seats at this courthouse in the middle u s a [Something Sweet] S Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village D-4 t l ] t

, e 93 a Choteau's Main Street. generations. h 287 (Kwilqanqmi) ) and the in Montana. c n i e This haven for rescued 19th-century [Big Island] e a a Benton — Tony Incashola, Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture E - d Pishkun Reservoir Polson W Ktunaxa / Ksanka / Kootenai Lake On the west side are the mountain y s Freezeout Lake structures is a good starting point for n Committee and Clayton Matt, Natural h Our language is unrelated to any language in 83 Freezeout Lewis and Clark e e bands of the Ktunaxa Nation in British r Swan Lake Resource Director and Member of Salish Tribe s National Historic Trail Pablo e the world. Maybe that’s because our tra- you to wander along Alberta’s Cowboy d Sun - E l , R Fairfield Columbia and the Ksanka/Kootenai in Res. Y Interpretive Center E i Hot Springs o Trail through the Rocky Mountain foot- m Gibson Res. 89 ditional territory in these mountains is so u C. M. Russell Museum - Sun River Wildlife Montana. Farther south, the Interior E o S remote. Fewer than 50 people still speak fluent Pablo C E hills, where film crews are sometimes n Sun River Painter’s brilliant pigments u Management Area 28 r a preserve a faded West E Salish people, including the Bitterroot r E Ktunaxa. We made a dictionary and work with n 382 o E as common as cattle drives. Glacial Lake RonanE Condon l 21 E u Ninepipe Res. M E Salish and Pend d’Oreille, are closely Kootenai elders in Montana to save our lan- I Missoula , n I Augusta Fort Shaw Great I Camas ˇ ’ Mission Mountains a 200 (Xntsnmé. Clqli´ s) d Simms Special places are still revered and should be FORT MACLEOD, AB - Falls guage from extinction. At the time of creation, E Prairie, S Wilderness Areas [Ninepipes Lake] q n related to other Salish-speaking na- ’ E GUNTER MARX / ALAMY R C o r respected by all. High on many ridges are the Plains (Qln i) w K we were given our language and this territory l E m Ulm (N a [Referring to 8580 ft tions in British Columbia, Washington, r e Una Mt. k rock shelter remains of vision quest sites, many t Raw Camas] Charlo t m a 2615 m 287 K to care for. We are still negotiating a treaty [ x k h R R . w 93 A i e F i g 200 15 L and Idaho. All of these nations and that face Chief Mountain—the Blackfoot home v ´t o E n C ) e k Paradise o n e with Canada and British Columbia for rights r w r Moiese E g D ut ] E F National Bison N o ) k l M r tribes invite visitors to their powwows, of thunder. is where the a R A r to our ancestral homeland and to protect the ( t Range q’ IS e Perma N h o g Scapegoat t tx w ead E w W a Raven lives. Glacier’s Lake McDonald is home [ . e´tkw E St. Ignatius u KMountain E (w museums, and interpretive centers. water. Our language and our land go together. 135 Riv ) n e a De L er] Dixon t 9202 ft a St. Ignatius a s e r of a Kootenai sacred dance. i ) 2805 m b — Liz Gravelle, Ktunaxa Elder, Tobacco E n n o Mission s r ) ] n y Plains, BC Ravalli ta CONTIN a Smith g EN k ] Seeley Creek T a r 200 N A e Nordic Trail System L m iv Seeley L. e Scapegoat D (O R IVID i ) g E E r y i W E Wilderness u a B 120° 116° 112° Arlee Seeley Lake o t [ s a r] s ak e N i m iv o ska Red Mountain K ) M O R r a t e 434 g th S c Placid L. t E o i h 9411 ft S Craig p B a ew J 93 I u a J c an 2868 m o k th s W r is u E a n o b L m S r A [ a u ( et r h 90 E Ovando ( E t E Wolf Creek 47°

A Frenchtown B Holter a 47° Lake R tt 200 le 114° E t Lincoln Missoula 200 S lackfoo (Nl~ ayccstm)ˇ B o E[Place of the Small Bull Trout] Kinbasket Saskatoon The Fort (Museum of the North West 115° 113° 112°W Lake 52° Mounted Police) D-5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 c ALBERTA Red-coated police on horseback were dispatched to Fort Macleod in the BRITISH Calgary R SASKATCHEWAN ed wheels for Remington Carriage funds for village upkeep. south along the Rocky Mountain Front. St. Ignatius Mission J-4

Golden (Mo kins sti) D 1870s to stop American whiskey traders COLUMBIA ‘ ee k [Elbow River] r Museum’s display of 225 horse- Then visit the Dinosaur Gallery to go Furs and souls drew traders and mis- ( aknuqtap¢ik) from abusing Blackfoot and Great Northern Railway Depot G-3 C Revelstoke o [Elbow] an drawn vehicles. Ride restored coaches, back an additional 65 million years to sionaries to native lands where rel- lu ew defying Canadian sovereignty. Museum If you’re a railroad buff, you’ll love this m h wagons, or sleighs behind Clydesdales, meet earlier travelers. ics of commerce and conversion are Bow c b Blackfoot Crossing t and musical rides honour Canada’s tra-

i (M historic depot, the busiest Amtrak stop

a okinists a y ‘ is Historical Park Upper Sis sk Canadians, quarter horses, or shires. found in timeworn buildings. Paintings [Elbow R ta a dition of cavalry riding to the rescue of iv c between Seattle and Minneapolis. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Arrow (Wu u aqlsmaknik akinmituk) e h S r inside the mission church interpret Lake [River Water People] ] ta h natives, not interlopers. Visit the nearby w i t depot doubles as Whitefish Museum. Interpretive Center I-8 (Sqlsewlk ) ) Tobacco Valley Historical Village F-2 [Kooetenai Waters] u Jesus and his mother as native North ( o restored 1884 police barracks and inter- Pioneer buildings were moved to save Montana’s first non-Native American St. Eugene Mission S Kootenay Head-Smashed-In Americans. Nearby, Fort Connah a Lake and Ktunaxa pretive centre. Old Trail Museum H-7 Lower k Buffalo Jump them from drowning when the Libby Dam tourists found a route to the Pacific ( x ( Interpretive Centre Join local guides to explore the Old was an outpost of imperial Britain’s Arrow X u M K created Lake Koocanusa in the 1970s. Ocean in an 1803-06 odyssey along

Lake w 9138 ft Crowsnest Lethbridge (Sik-ooh-kotok) [Black Coal] Remington Carriage Museum E-5 Hudson’s Bay Company. ‘ i M 2785 m c i i C ls North Trail, ’s original x s s Cranbrook Mountain Fort Whoop-Up and ypress Hil Browse Fewkes General Store for his- the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. As a w t N a See working wheelwrights heat and transcontinental highway, used for mil-

Castlegar c ‘ Tobacco Plains National torical artifacts. And if you buy a locally modern explorer you can trace the jour- CANADA u a k Aboriginal Day Celebration shrink steel bands around wooden t l i Grasmere lennia by native peoples moving north or ) m s NATIVE AMERICAN WARRIORS AT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT ) Maskinonge Lake made quilt, you’ll be helping provide ney more quickly here. GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY DEPOT, MT U.S. u BETTMANN / GETTY IMAGES [ o K BRIAN SCHOTT R q Chief Mountain Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park/ [ 9080 ft 108° o ¢ M (Ninastako) i 2767 m Áísínai‘pi National Historic Site c ) [Chief Mountain] Franklin Delano k o M y u il [ North American Lake ( k Roosevelt Lake B n Browning Poyi M t i Ta OUTDOOR RECREATION Sandpoint o a u Indian Days Elwell [Li h Ta ttle R i) o d i iver u y n Bears Paw ] ia L. Pend n s OLD NORTH TRAIL b o Kalispell 48°N

m t ] Mountains

u Oreille a f (historic route) Goat Lick Overlook G-5 riffles to cast your fly in the ‘ l i Flathead Lake ‘ WILDLIFE VIEWING WINTER ACTIVITIES o n G so C w ˘ ˘ is u s i ’ . M r Midsummer provides peak viewing for and South Fork of the Flathead. Muscle- a n (Clq´etk ) (Yawu nik A kuqnuk) i Spokane Coeur ] o n [Broad Water] [Monster Lake] (Amiskap Om Freedom to roam for big mammals—bear, Although not a strict dividing line, d’Alene t ak mountain goats using this pioneering powered boaters find wilderness tranquil- ] uth Big atay) Fort Peck Lake Pablo The People’s Center [So Ri WASHINGTON Great Falls (Omakata ver] Lake elk, wolves, lynx, —means robust the Continental Divide is a helpful y) underpass that provides safe passage ity on Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park First Peoples Buffalo [Big Rive r] t Arlee Jump State Park wildlife populations and great viewing. beneath Highway 2. and Elk Lakes Provincial Park. Mountain guide for those who do and do Arlee 4th of July Missoula During spring and summer, grizzlies wan- hikers swear by therapeutic leaps into not love snow. The mountain crest (Nl aycˇcstm) Celebration Snak MONTANA National I-3 e B der the high country, scarfing up grass, glacier-fed lakes to pacify weary muscles. catches Pacific storms that depos- [Place of the i Small Bull Trout] g Established in 1909 and stocked with a roots, insects and, rarely, meat. In the Downstream, millions of North Americans it abundant snowfall on the west Helena B e Mus descendants of bison rescued from IDAHO l sels ell e autumn, they rove where berries ripen. depend upon these fresh, clean waters side. On the eastern side, snow- t h n Tribal Territories About 1800 o M st Black bears prefer the cover of forests. extinction by Pend d’Oreille people, this eater chinook winds, warm and ow for drinking, recreation, and agriculture. t ell Blackfoot Confederacy s Y sanctuary protects hundreds of bison i . Your chance of seeing a dur- fierce, quickly erase the leftovers Ktunaxa Billings ing your lifetime is greatest while hiking on 18,500 acres (7,487 hectares) of Crowsnest River D-4 of earlier blizzards. Snowshoeing, n r rolling grassland and forest. Take short Shallow riffles, deep pools, and runs too Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and other Salishan tribes o in Glacier National Park, especially the and cross-country and downhill ski h n ig nature walks from access points along rocky for drift boats make the Crowsnest Map Key B Highline Trail. The region’s wild rivers opportunities abound on the west Historical site and glaciated lakes are magnets for 24 miles (39 kilometers) of road loop. River above a treasured side. Windows between freezing preserve for traditional dry fly anglers who Other point of interest waterfowl, resident and migratory. Eagles, Sun River Wildlife Management Area I-6 and snowfall for wild ice skating s prefer to walk and wade. Powwow hawks, and owls swoop through inter- may last longer on the east side Sun River Canyon reverberates in late fall SPINEBACK TRAIL IN , FERNIE, BC mountain valleys and along alpine ridges. HENRY GEORGI / ALL CANADA PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES for those who can abide the wind. UNESCO World Heritage site Yellowstone from the clash of bighorn rams knock- Waterton and Glacier Boat Tours E-4, CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING IN FERNIE, BC 0 mi 100 (Mo kins sti) Tribal name Lake ing heads for breeding rights. Below the F-4, and F-5 HENRI GEORGI / TOURISM FERNIE WYOMING 0 km 100 Top of the World Provincial Park C-2 [Elbow River] Tribal name translation Columbia Wetlands B-1 Sunset cruises on a tranquil Lake CROWN OF THE CONTINENT 44° canyon, in the wildlife management area Chert for tools and weapons was quarried Swans, eagles, ospreys, herons, and McDonald. Narrated tours of Upper CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING itself, watch in winter for herds of stately by the Ktunaxa inside today’s Top of the ducks rest on their seasonal migrations elk and swift antelope. . Wildlife- and glacier- For more information on Alberta trails: xcountryab.net World Provincial Park. If you’re a skier, For more information on British Columbia trails: crosscountrybc.ca Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park/ hills-resident Blackfoot. Native peace turn the icon of a sad period of history along one of North America’s longest viewing on St. Mary Lake. Take your snowshoer, angler, hiker, or horseback For more information on Montana trails: wintermt.com Áísínai’pi National Historic Site was exploited by whiskey smugglers into an economic engine by restoring wetlands. Both the Columbia and the Freezeout Lake I-7 pick of these and other guided trips on rider, you’ll enjoy wilderness trails and Trail DistanceTrail (km) DistanceDifficult (mi) TerrainModerate TerrainEasy Terrain Trail Use FeeDogs Allowed Abundant First Nations petroglyphs cover- who plied the Whoop-Up Trail between an old Indian residential school into an Kootenay Rivers originate here, flowing in Birds by the hundreds of thousands and historic vessels that ply the deep blue humans by the handful congregate at campsites that are closed to vehicles Allison-Chinook Cross-Country Ski Trails, Crowsnest Park, AB D-3 3 1 ing sheer sandstone cliffs, and native here and Fort Benton, Montana, and international destination resort. opposite directions, to merge hundreds of water at the foot of majestic peaks. allisonwonderlands.ca grasses and wildlife are protected as part prompted the formation of today’s Royal kilometres later, at Castlegar, B.C. Freezeout Lake to celebrate early spring. powered or pedaled. Maskinonge Lake Middle Fork Flathead River G-5 Big Mountain Nordic Trails, Whitefish, MT G-3 1 6 of the Blackfoot spiritual heritage. Canadian Mounted Police. Tundra swans, snow geese, and 200 Heiko’s Trail (Mountain Lakes Trail) D-2 glaciernordicclub.com The Blackfoot people trace the origins of South Livingstone Raptor Watch Site D-3 other migrating species pause here in From family-friendly, half-day rafting Epic 20-km (12-mi) trail best traveled from Bigfork Community Nordic Center, Bigfork, MT G-4 1 6 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump The People’s Center the sacred beaver bundle, with its pre- Watch migrating golden eagles ride trips to thrilling, multi-day horseback rid- northshorenordic.org mid-March while they wait for nature’s Hartley Lake Road to Lodge, Before guns and horses, native hunters Hear oral history directly from the con- served animal hides and waterfowl skins, updrafts along the eastern flank of ing and rafting adventures, white-water Blacktail Mountain Nordic Trails, Lakeside, MT H-3 traffic control system to indicate that far through the mountainous backcountry 1 12 stalked bison on foot and stampeded temporary custodians of Salish and to this place still rich in creatures. the Rocky Mountains. See them best from opportunities on this wild and scenic northshorenordic.org northern destinations are open for feed- near, Fernie, B.C. Waterfalls, caves, cliff the animals over cliffs. Head-Smashed- Kootenai tribal heritage, adjacent to trib- the ridge called Piitaistakis, or “The Place ing and breeding. river abound. Cranbrook South Star Recreation Area, Cranbrook, BC D-1 3 1 In Buffalo Jump remains an important al headquarters and community college. of the Eagles,” by Piikani Blackfoot. walls, big mountain passes, canyons, cranbrooktourism.ca/activity-categories/winter-activities/ POWWOWS mountain meadows, wildlife and more. Flathead Lake Marine Trail H-4 Dog Creek Nordic Center, Olney, MT F-3 2 12 cultural UNESCO World Heritage site dogcreeklodge.com/nordic-center where Blackfoot First Nations share St. Eugene Mission and Ktunaxa Kokanee Salmon Runs E-2 HIKING Full day excursion or split into two easier Pick up a trail map (which specifies Interpretive Centre In the late 1800s, U.S. government Witness late summer bounty when grizzly days for a backcountry wilderness camp- access points, campgrounds, and dis- Elk Valley Nordic Centre, Fernie, BC D-2 7 4 their history and values. Tremendous day hikes and vast back- tourismfernie.com/activities/cross-country-skiing The interpretative centre honouring agents were determined to stamp out bears, osprey, and eagles congregate at ing experience. Island Lake Lodge offers tances) and paddle the crystalline water. Indian culture, including traditional cer- packing terrain are a bonanza for moun- , Fernie, BC D-2 14 First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park Ktunaxa history and renewal is located Kootenay River tributaries. Kikomun and ACMG-certified guides. Explore islands and more than 120 miles tourismfernie.com/activities/cross-country-skiing For at least a thousand years, before inside the St. Eugene Golf Resort & emonies. But they couldn’t say no when Wild Horse Creeks set a feast for all when tain explorers. Thousands of miles of (193 kilometers) of forested shoreline. The Fernie Dyke, Fernie, BC D-2 5 3 horses and guns made the work easier Casino. The Ktunaxa Nation decided to leaders of the Salish-Pend d’Oreille waters run red with spawning Kokanee trail crisscross public land, much of it Jewel Basin Hiking Area G-4 tourismfernie.com/activities/cross-country-skiing tribes wished to celebrate the nation’s maintained by volunteers. Close to town, Watch eye-level eagles and hawks in and safer, Plains Indians stampeded salmon. Fernie Golf & Country Club, Fernie, BC D-2 12 7 bison over this ledge to be finished off birthday. The Arlee powwow continues to families find pedestrian joys at Foys to the autumn from atop Mt. Aeneas, the tourismfernie.com/activities/cross-country-skiing by the spears and arrows of hunters blend tribal traditions and contemporary Blacktail Trails near Kalispell, tallest peak in this hikers-only wonder- Glacier Nordic Center, Whitefish, MT G-3 13 8 glaciernordicclub.com waiting below. festivities over the Fourth of July the Whitefish Trail, Fairy Creek land. The area is studded with 25 alpine Falls near Fernie, Columbia lakes and offers 35 miles (56 kilometers) Island Lake Lodge, Fernie, BC D-2 8 5 weekend. The second weekend of July tourismfernie.com/activities/cross-country-skiing Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park belongs to the Blackfeet Nation’s Lake Spirit Trail, and Kimberley of prime hiking trails in the Flathead Izaak Walton Inn, Essex, MT G-4 33 21 1 The Blackfoot nations and Canada North American Indian Days in Browning. Nature Park. The Montana National Forest. izaakwaltoninn.com signed an 1877 peace treaty at this Wilderness Association, since Attend the rodeo to watch riders switch Kimberley Nordic Club, Kimberley, BC D-1 33 21 natural ford of the , known mounts three times in a fierce, bareback 1962, leads free nature hikes. WATER kimberleynordic.org by the Siksika as Sooyooh’pawahko, Waterton and Glacier National Lake Windermere Whiteway, Invermere, BC B-1 31 1 race. National Aboriginal Day in Canada tobycreeknordic.ca or “underwater bridge.” The park offers is June 21—a day to celebrate the Parks provide access to trails ACTIVITIES First Nations guides, indoor exhibits, tipi Seeley Creek Nordic Trail System, Seeley Lake, MT J-5 18 11 cultures of First Nations. The Tobacco that quickly put you in alpine seeleylakenordic.org lodging, and ceremonial dances. At the headwaters of the continent, Plains Aboriginal Day Celebration wel- zones, although you must be Sunset Ridge Ski Trails, Sparwood, BC C-2 8 5 thousands of small streams feed hun- skisparwood.com Fort Whoop-Up and Indian Battle Park comes visitors to the Ktunaxa homeland. willing to walk uphill in beau- dreds of lakes and two dozen major riv- Syncline Cross-Country Ski Trail, , AB D-3 2 12 North America’s last intertribal clash All powwows and First Nations celebra- tiful settings that take you ers. Flathead Lake is the largest natural albertaparks.ca/parks/south/castle-pp/ breath away. here in 1870 was followed by a treaty tions are open to tribal members and freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in * Trail fee not required, donations recommended 1 Dogs permitted only on Dickey Creek Road between plains-roaming Cree and foot- non-Native Americans alike. the Lower 48. Outfitters point to choice Copyright © 2018 National Geographic Partners, LLC, Washington, D.C. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and Yellow Border Design are NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN DAYS, BROWNING, MT WOLVERINE CHRIS PETERSON WHITE-WATER RAFTING ON THE MIDDLE FORK OF THE FLATHEAD RIVER, MT DONNIE SEXTON / TRAVEL MONTANA GLACIER GUIDES AND MONTANA RAFT trademarks of the National Geographic Society, used under license. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Printed for free distribution.