Undaunted Stewardship
By editor
Jackson, Beaverhead County, Montana, 1806
When Captain William Clark and his party of explorers reached the Big Hole Valley in July 1806, they were looking for a shortcut back to the Missouri River. They found a valley that was "a beautiful level plain," teeming with game and surrounded by mountains that looked like they had been placed there specifically to impress the tourists. Clark, a man who appreciated a good view, noted in his journal that the valley was "a most beautiful and extensive plain," which is high praise coming from a man who had just spent two years walking across half the continent.
The valley was a popular hunting ground for the Shoshone, the Salish, and the Nez Perce, who had been coming here for centuries to hunt buffalo and gather camas roots. They knew the valley intimately, understanding its rhythms and its secrets. Clark, on the other hand, was just passing through, a tourist with a notebook and a compass. He named the valley the "Hot Spring Valley," a name that was both accurate and entirely lacking in imagination.
For the next century, the Big Hole Valley remained a quiet corner of the world, a place where a man could raise a few cattle and mind his own business. The ranchers who settled here were a hardy breed, men and women who understood the value of hard work and the importance of taking care of the land. They built fences, dug irrigation ditches, and generally made themselves useful, proving that a man with enough determination can make a living even in the middle of nowhere.
Today, the Big Hole Valley is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. The ranchers who live here are still working the land, still raising cattle, and still minding their own business. They are the stewards of the valley, the men and women who understand that the land is not just a resource to be exploited, but a legacy to be protected. They are the ones who ensure that the valley remains a "beautiful level plain," a place where a man can still find a little peace and quiet in a noisy world.
See also
- Undaunted Stewardship at Jackson, Beaverhead County (Erected by Montana Historical Society)
- Big Hole National Battlefield, the site of a tragic conflict between the Nez Perce and the U.S. Army in 1877
