Lewis and Clark National Forest is located
in west central Montana, United States.
Spanning 2,912 square miles (7,500 km2), the
forest is managed as two separate zones.
The eastern sections, under the Jefferson
Division, is a mixture of grass and shrublands
dotted with "island" pockets of forested areas.
Here, cattle leases to local ranchers as well
as timber harvesting are the norm.
The western Rocky Mountain Division, which
straddles the Continental divide, is managed
chiefly for environmental preservation, as
much of the land has been designated as wilderness.
Forest headquarters are located in Great Falls,
Montana.
Local ranger district offices have been established
in Choteau, Harlowton, Neihart, Stanford,
and White Sulphur Springs.The forest lands
were defined and established by the federal
government in 1897, following its Treaty of
1896 with the Blackfeet establishing their
adjacent reservation.
This forest is one of the oldest forest preserves
in the U.S.
The forest is named in honor of the members
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which passed
through the forest between 1804 and 1806 while
exploring the Louisiana Purchase for President
Thomas Jefferson.
Prior to that, the region was inhabited by
various cultures of Native Americans for a
period of at least 8,000-10,000 years.
When the Lewis & Clark expedition came to
this area, different areas of the large forest
territory were used by members of the Blackfeet,
Sioux, Cheyenne, Flathead and Crow nations
for hunting and as an area for their seasonal
winter camps.
The forests provided shelter from the winter.
== Description ==
Altitudes range from 4,500 feet (1,400 m)
to the top of Rocky Mountain Peak at 9,362
feet (2,900 m).
The forest is divided into seven separate
sections and encompasses eight mountain ranges;
the Judith, Big Snowy, Little Snowy, Crazy,
Castle, Little Belt and Highwood Mountains.
The westernmost section includes portions
of the Scapegoat and the Bob Marshall wildernesses,
and borders Glacier National Park to the north.
The western Rocky Mountain Division, informally
called the Rocky Mountain Front, consists
of a dense coniferous forest and has numerous
species of spruce, fir, and pine.
The Jefferson Division is dominated by ponderosa
and lodgepole pine which prefer a drier climate.
The grizzly bear and timber wolf are found
in the western sections of the forest, and
are especially dense in the designated wilderness
areas.
In addition, the western section contains
much of the wildlife present at the time of
the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the
region.
Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, cougars,
Canadian lynxes, wolverines and black bears
are most common nearest the Continental Divide.
In other sections of the forest, black bears,
mule deer and white-tailed deer are the largest
mammals found.
Coyotes, raccoons, beavers, minks, muskrats,
river otters and Columbian white-tailed deer
inhabit the up-stream inlands.
Throughout the forest, bald eagles, grouse,
peregrine falcon and red tailed hawks are
increasing in numbers.
Lakes and streams are more numerous in the
western section due to a higher altitude and
more precipitation, and are home to the native
westslope cutthroat trout.
In the 1,600 miles (2,600 km) of rivers and
streams in the forest, rainbow trout, brook
trout and northern pike are relatively common.
Excellent fly fishing opportunities are plentiful,
especially in the Smith River.
The National Forest has 29 vehicle-accessible
campgrounds.
Two ski areas also operate within the forest.
Almost 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of hiking trails
provide access to remote locations in the
seven different mountain ranges within the
Forest.
Solitude is most common in the Crazy Mountains
and in the wilderness areas near the Continental
divide.
Summertime average high temperatures are in
the 70s °F (20s °C), but the winter can
be very cold, especially in the more exposed
eastern sections.
Snow can linger for up to 10 months of the
year along the Continental divide.
The forest lies in parts of thirteen counties.
In descending order of land area, they are
Lewis and Clark, Meagher, Judith Basin, Teton,
Cascade, Pondera, Fergus, Wheatland, Chouteau,
Glacier, Golden Valley, Sweet Grass, and Park
counties.
== History ==
In the late 19th century, after the end of
the Indian Wars, the federal government worked
to move Native American tribes on to Indian
reservations, requiring them to cede land
and extinguish their land claims to large
areas of territory.
The United States wanted to open the West
to settlement and development by European
Americans.
The Blackfeet Indian Reservation, with members
mostly of the Piegan Blackfeet branch, was
established by Treaty of 1896 to the east
of this forest area and Glacier National Park,
bordering the province of Alberta, Canada
to the north.
The forest was established on February 22,
1897 as the Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve
under the management of the US General Land
Office.
On June 9, 1903 the Flathead Forest Reserve
was added, and on March 2, 1907 the spelling
was changed to Lewis and Clark, and land was
added.
The forest territory had been transferred
to the U.S. Forest Service in 1906, and was
designated by the government as a National
Forest.
On April 8, 1932 the entire Jefferson National
Forest was added, which itself comprised the
former Little Belt, Crazy Mountain, Snowy
Mountains, Little Rockies and Highwood Mountains
National Forests.
Finally, on July 1, 1945, part of Absaroka
National Forest was added as the last portion
of this forest.
The Helena and Lewis and Clark National forests
consolidated their administrations in 2014.
== Gallery ==
== See also ==
List of Forests in Montana
Alice Creek Fire
