Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w. d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a . c o m 21 First, stop at the toBaCCo VallEy hIStorIC VIllagE downtown, which contains historic buildings from old villages along the Kootenai River, some of them rescuees from when construction of the Libby Dam flooded the Kootenai River valley. Wander among pioneer cabins, old Forest Service buildings, and a rail depot. Chil- dren will enjoy clambering on the old farming equipment. Like so much in the Tobacco Valley, the historic buildings are a testament to salvaging something positive from calamity. From the Tobacco Valley Historical Village, two paths beckon. At one time part of the extension of the Great Northern Railroad from Columbia Falls to the town of Rexford, today the kootEnaI traIl offers 7.5 miles of rails-to-trails recreation. Amble among joggers, dog walkers and anglers while keeping an eye out for osprey and eagles. e product of a years-long community effort to construct a showpiece path along the Tobacco River, the EurEka rIVEr walk makes for a great after- dinner walk or a respite from window shopping on Dewey Avenue downtown. Cottonwoods shade the two-mile, mostly paved loop; ducks and deer, not at all shy, wander amongst the riverside willows. Interpretive signs, fitness stations, and benches encourage stopping, whether for rest or exercise. Just north of Eureka, the danCIng PraIrIE PrESErVE protects one of the last sites in Montana where the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse performed their mating dances. e Nature Conservancy purchased the parcel in 1987 in the face of alarming declines in the grouse popula- tion. e grouse's springtime leks are now silent, but the prairie still protects a plethora of rare native prairie plants. Come mid-summer, the white blooms of the Spalding's catchfly welcome visitors to this fragile — and increasingly threatened — habitat. Only a few hundred specimens remain in the plant's native habitat in the Palouse Prairie of southeast Washington, northeast Oregon and west-central Idaho; Dancing Prairie Preserve boasts more than 10,000 — 90 percent of the plant's population. Needless to say, tread lightly. map CONTiNUeD Nighttime on Dewey Avenue in downtown eureka Many of eureka's historic buildings house charming businesses. This boutique was the old bank. Hikers can easily get their fill of huckleberries on the Big Therriault Lake trail in the Ten Lakes Scenic Area. Although hikers are unlikely to spot a grizzly, wildlife such as Columbian sharp-tailed grouse are plentiful. EurEka C a n a d a M o n ta n a rExford hIghway 93

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