Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 13 THE RIVER'S PAST About 310 miles long, the Clark Fork is the largest river in Montana. e first non-Native American to see the lower part of the river was probably David ompson, an English explorer, mapmaker and trader. But history left him behind and instead named the river after a man who probably never saw it, William Clark, of the famed Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery. About 200,000 years ago, the northern part of what is today the Clark Fork Valley bordered the southern edge of the Cordilleran ice sheet. e sheet formed ice dams and, on the site of present-day Missoula, created a 3,000-square mile glacial lake, which is about half the size of today's Lake Michigan. Frequent ice dams flooded the future Clark Fork, sculpting much of the surrounding landscape. e first known settlements along the river date back to approximately 3,500 BCE. By the 16th century, the settlements were inhabited by about six Native American tribes. e canyon just to the east of present-day Missoula was filled with so many human bones that early European trap- pers and traders named the canyon "Hellgate." In 1860, a trading post was established along the river. In 1866, after the Flathead Native Americans signed a treaty and relinquished much of their land, the name Hellgate was changed to the Salish tribe's word meaning "river of ambush. Missoula with a population of about 400 had a mill for lumber and another for flour. In 1877, the U. S. government established Fort Missoula. In 1883, the new Northern Pacific Railway fueled the town's growth, and Missoula became a major trading center. Ten years later the Univer- sity of Montana was established on the southern bank of the Clark Fork. e Clark Fork river begins west of Butte, Montana, at the confluence of Silver Bow Creek and Warm Springs Creek. e Clark Fork travels downstream, joining several streams. When it meets the Blackfoot River, Casting at Harper's Bridge of Renewal Turah Pool BRIAN OLLE Fishing with a view of University of Montana's campus and "M"

• Cover