Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 112 EXIT 33, St. Regis, takes you to the third largest community in the county. It is where the St. Regis River flows into the Clark Fork, and today is known primarily as the location for several different tourist facilities, including restaurants, gas stations, a motel, and gift and antique shops. Memorial Day Weekend brings thousands of visitors to the St. Regis Flea Market—billed as Montana's largest. St. Regis is also the only place to catch a paved highway leading away from I-90. Montana Highway 135 has been named the St. Regis to Paradise Scenic Byway and is a beau- tiful drive following the Clark Fork River north and east for 21.5 miles. Only the first seven are in Mineral County. Between St. Regis (Exit 33) and Superior (Exit 47), two exits provide access to the Clark Fork River and a few homes built along the river. EXIT 47, Superior, takes you to the county seat, a beautiful 1920 courthouse, and, on the first Saturday of June, the Old Schoolhouse Rocks Car Show, one of the largest classic car shows in western Montana. Superior, founded in 1869, grew largely because of the gold strikes in the mountains around the town. In 1908, the first Gideon Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel. Yes, those ubiquitous nightstand Bibles got their start in Superior, Montana. Between Superior and Alberton, five exits access the Clark Fork River and a few farms that dot the narrow valley. Exit 55, Lozeau/Quartz, takes you past the old Lozeau Bar to an his- toric one-lane bridge across the Clark Fork. Exit 61, Tarkio, leads you up a dirt road into one of the widest farming val- leys in the county. Exit 66, Fish Creek Road, takes you to Fish Creek State Park, the second largest park in Montana's sys- tem and home to the largest ponderosa pine in the state. EXIT 70, Cyr, is home to a raft ramp for folks who want to float the infamous Alberton Gorge on the Clark Fork River. Note that the Cyr Bridge on old Highway 10 is in serious need of repair, but you'll have to cross it to get to the raft ramp. EXITS 75 AND 77, Alberton, are the last exits for Mineral County, although technically 77 is across the line in Missou- la County. Alberton, another Milwaukee Road community, is home today to a used bookstore that bills itself as the largest such establishment in Montana. I heartily recommend a visit.

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