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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



western ridges. Its area of about 

 1450 sq. mi. embraces 250 lakes of various 

 sizes, 80 glaciers, from a few acres to 

 several sq. mi. in area; the South Fork of 

 Flathead River on the west and the 

 middle Fork on the south, many large 

 creeks and small rushing streams. The 

 elevations are from 3144 ft. at Lake 

 McDonald on the west and 4472 ft. at 

 St. Mary Lake on the east to the summit 

 of Mt. Cleveland, 10,438 ft. The lakes 

 are from a few feet in depth to 387, 

 Lake McDonald, and 244, Lake Ellen 

 Wilson. The vegetation includes moun- 

 tain prairies and coniferous forests, 

 alpine meadows, steppes, deciduous 

 softwood forest, with local communities 

 of swamps, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers, 

 mountains, ravines and canyons, bluffs, 

 and cliffs, rocks and glacial deposits. 

 A great opportunity will always be 

 offered here for study of a variety of 

 animal and plant communities from 

 hydrophytic to xerophytic, and from 

 plains to alpine mountain summits. 



There are both pure and mixed stands 

 of timber: including yellow, western 

 white, lodgepole, white-bark, and timber 

 pines {Pinus ponderosa, P. monticola, 

 P. murrayana, P. albiculis, P. flexilis) 

 Engelmann spruce {Picea Engelmanni), 

 Douglas fir {Pseudotsuga mucronata), 

 western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla), 

 Lyall's larch {Larix lyallii), western 

 tamarack {Larix occidentalis), western 

 red cedar {Thuya plicata), cottonwood 

 {Populus Irichocarpa) and aspen (P. 

 tremuloides) . Nearly a thousand species 

 of flowering plants occur in the Park 

 limits, according to Standley. This 

 systematic study completed, the work 

 of the ecologist is facilitated. The 

 same is true of the mammals and birds. 

 Mrs. Bailey has listed the latter, Mr. 

 Bailey the former. 186 species of birds 

 and 60 of mammals have been recorded. 

 All other fields are open. The mam- 

 mals include bighorn sheep, goat, 

 moose, elk, white-tailed and mule deer, 

 pine squirrel, flying-squirrel, three spe- 

 cies of chipmunks, three of ground 

 squirrels, hoary marmot and brown 

 woodchuck, woodrat, mice, muskrat, 



beaver, porcupine, two species of pocket- 

 gophers, two of rabbits, cougar, Canada 

 lynx, bob-cat, gray wolf, coyote, red fox, 

 otter, mink, fisher, weasels, marten, 

 skunk, badger, brown and grizzly bears, 

 three species of shrews, and four of bats. 



Of the mountains, Cleveland, Stimp- 

 son, Kintla, Jackson and Siyeh rise 

 above 10,000 ft. Triple Divide Peak 

 is the only mountain on the continent 

 sending water to three oceans. There 

 are many mountains above 9000 ft., 

 many even unnamed, and hundreds of 

 square miles of unexplored territory. 

 The Lewis overtrust, extending beyond 

 the Park limits north and south, the 

 chief cause of the Park's scenery, has 

 brought about remarkable geological 

 results which have greatly modified 

 and influenced the biota. Some of the 

 glaciers are quite accessible, affording 

 opportunity for study of adjacent life, 

 and of their effect on growth and 

 distribution. 



Trails lead to every section, from 

 which those who know mountains may 

 go to the highest or remotest sections. 

 None of the streams are polluted. In 

 summer, headquarters may be made at 

 the park hotels and chalets, although a 

 camp outfit is quite desirable if not 

 essential for remoter parts. 



Belton (the Park Line is just across the 

 river), 2^ mi. to Lake McDonald (a) 

 or (W) N., 8 mi. further to Glacier 

 hotel 11 (boat), 8 mi. additional to 

 Sperry glacier (w) or (h) E.; Glacier 

 Park, 10 mi. to Two Medicine (a) or 

 (w), 30 mi. to St. Mary, (a), 55 mi. 

 to Many Glacier (a) . Additional chalets 

 "easily accessible." 



Indian Reservations. Crow Reserva- 

 tion (B3.), 5475 sq. mi. in Yellowstone 

 and Bighorn Counties. (See reference 

 to Custer Battlefield Military Reser- 

 vation.) 



North Cheyenne Reservation (B3.), 

 765 sq. mi. in Rosebud and Bighorn 

 counties. This and the preceding in- 

 clude large stretches of the Great Plains 

 of the southeastern portion of the state 

 which are as yet uninfluenced by 

 farming. 



