FOK1.-T DISTRim'TlON 



Tli.- laruexi contributions from the northern part of the 

 have been made ly R. S. Williams and Marcus \V. Jones. 

 Williams from l v ^> to 1 s !'!' made extrusive collections, confined. 

 however, mostly to the country ;ihout (Ireat Falls and Columbia 

 Fall* and the Highwnnd and Little Belt Mountains. .lones in 

 th- subsequent period to 1!HO collected largely in various por- 

 tions of the Flat head Valley from the Lake of that name to the 

 Ulacier National Park and the higher altitudes of the Mission. 

 Swan and other northern ranges. 



The earliest botanical explorations followed naturally the 



<>f overland travel. The main highway through the north- 



ern region then lay via the Yellowstone River, the Big Hole 



and the upper forks of the Missouri. The Continental 



Divide was ei-nvsed at (Jibbon's Pass leading into the Fpper 



Bitter Ii'oot Valley. From that point, the trail followed the 



Hitter Root River northward to its junction with the Lolo, thence 



int.. Idaho via Lolo Pass to the Snake River, or continuing to 



the mouth of the Bjtti r Root, and down the (Mark's Fork, or the 



Clark's Fork was left at a point near the present site of St. 



and a crossing effected into the ( 1 oeur d'Alenes. This 



route was subsequently adopted by the (Jovernment for a mil- 



road The Mnllan Trail) from Fort Benton. the head of 



navigation ,, n the Missouri, to Walla Walla. 



The various routes were old Indian trails. Lewis and (lark. 

 <IM their outward .jurncy. followed one of the main highways 

 tlirmiL'li the P.i- Hole, the P.itter Root and Lolo Pass, and on 

 turn by the same route as far as the Big Hole, except that 

 is uith a body of men parted company with (Mark at the 

 and followed another highway via the P>lackfoot Valley, 

 as above not.d. The moi-e southern route was followed by later 

 Ian, anil collectors, ;it least iii part namely. \Y\eih. (Jeyer, 

 a, Coulter ami Others, Later with the cnming of railroads 

 a more L'1-rn-ral obs r\ 'at inn of the flora was made possible. 



Many travelers, other than those noted above, mi-lit be 

 m.-nt .-outributed notes and collections on the 



flora of the State fin-ii our point or another. Altogether, how- 

 ever, but few parts have |,,.,.,i w ,.|| W( ,rk<'d over, many have 

 been - >tudi-| and some not touched at all. There 



seems to be no available record of any botanical observations 



