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the Badger, where they mix with arctic air to produce abundant
moisture. All along the Front, vegetation is sparse, lending a spa-
cious, open character to the land bordering on the austere. Only
a few hardy trees survive on exposed ridges and slopes. Gnarled
limber pine cling like living statues sculpted into grotesque shapes
by an almost constant wind.
Wind is truly the signature climatic reality along the Front.
When it eases, it is merely catching its breath so as to gather
more strength. Here, we find a landscape where the trees lean
east, away from the wind, and the people lean west, into the
wind. The sometimes hurricane force of wind drove out most of
the homesteaders during the 1910s and 1920s and deserves at
least partial credit for limiting human population and develop-
ment, a sort of cleansing agent helping to keep the country wild.
The Front is the kind of place that will raise your spirits while
instilling humility to your soul.
Bozeman • Billings • Missoula
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