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7/31
We slept in a bit today. We had taken a short walk last evening and, like an idiot, I forgot to put on the mosquito repellent. There is quite a variety of flying insects including mosquitoes around here. I was covered up pretty well, so they just tried to eat my hands. The benadryl tube is getting a workout today! After some menial tasks at the coach, we headed for town, where we enjoyed the Historical Museum. There is quite a display of photographs of Indians. The disappointment was there were no titles or explanations. Fascinating, nonetheless. We did learn that in addition to the Salish, Kootenai & Pend d’Oreille tribes, some Iroquois, who had left the Northwest Company (traders), were welcomed by the Salish and were ‘adopted’ by them. The Salish people had been decimated by warfare with other tribes who had guns. The Salish had none. Fierce fighters, but seriously out-weaponed. Anyway, these Iroquois practiced the Catholic faith after being introduced to it by French Jesuits in Canada and introduced it to the tribes in this region. Eventually, after the Indians petitioned the diocese, a priest, Father DeSmet was sent to the Bitterroot area around 1840 and established the first mission in Montana. In 1844, Father DeSmet was in Rome asking for missionaries for the American Indians and a Father Ravalli answered the call. He came to the Bitterroot Valley and spent the rest of his life working with the Indians of the northwest. He was Montana’s first medical doctor. He built the first gristmill and sawmill in Montana. He was the architect for the mission that Father DeSmet began. He was also the designer of the altar at St. Mary’s Mission. The county that Hamilton is in is named for him, as are a variety of places & businesses. Most fascinating time at the museum. There were also Nez Perce here, but I don’t know why they were here other than the more eastern tribes were being shoved westward as Europeans pushed west themselves. We then went on a drive to the Bitterroot National Forest Blodgett Trailhead just a couple miles out of town. Great views back to the valley and the Sapphire Mountains across the way. There is something captivating about this area. The scenery, the people, the fishing & the serenity that seems to be here. A shopkeeper was telling us that many travelers stop here, spend a few days, go home-sell the house and return to buy property and settle down. She said that they don’t even stop to think about the bitter cold winters. They just fall in love with the place after a few days & lose their senses. I can see how it could happen. Returning to the campground, Gary dresses in his ‘here, fishy-fishy’ outfit and walks 30 ft. to take on the river. Another terrific day.
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They put a false front on the museum as they are currently showing a special display of the ghost towns of Montana.
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Mounted beside one another, these two pics really show such contrast. On the right, I see a proud man in native dress who seems saddened. On the left, I see the young wearing the trappings of the western cowboy as the native dress succumbs to the times. Both pictures are undated.
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‘Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired, my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun stands now, I Will Fight No More Forever.’ These words, attributed to Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce are not explained so I have no knowledge of when or under what circumstances he said this. It is hard sometimes to look on these incredible faces and realize all that they lost.
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The labels from early apple farming boxes & flour mill bags. I always thought flour came in 50 pound bags....these were 49 lbs.
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I guess because fishing IS a big deal here, it follows that some famous flies or fly producers would gain fame from their efforts to make a better fly. There is quite a display in one room of the museum of those who gained fame from such a tiny thing. Unlike the Native Americans in this museum, the information about the flies & their producers are well-documented & examples of these flies abound.
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The safe from the county courthouse is still in place. It is a beautiful, if worn, example of a Deibold Safe from the late 1800’s. From the sign on the door, the only thing allowed in it now is the staff.
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In the late 1800’s people were dying in this region from something eventually named Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In 1902, the U.S. Public Health established a research center in Hamilton, still operating today, that developed a vaccination for the disease. It is quite a story that is well-told. As a side note, Hamilton was suffering a declining population and a poor economy when this research team was brought to town. It is one of the main reasons that Hamilton survived the depression.
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