Report of the Bitter Root River 



Instead of making a report of the Bitter Root River upon blanks furnished 

 by the State Fish Commission, which are deemed inadequate for that purpose, the 

 following is a general statement covering the territory embraced within the 

 limits of that watershed. 



From the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Bitter Root River 

 to the point where it flows north into the Missoula River at a point about five 

 miles west of the City of Missoula, it is sixty-six miles "as the crow flies." Each 

 fork has many tributaries and is approximately twenty-seven miles in length. 

 At the point of confluence, a beautiful, clear river is formed, having many pools, 

 rapids and eddies with water ranging in temperture from thirty-two degrees In 

 Winter to fifty-four degrees in Summer. At the confluence and for some miles 

 below the bottom is sand, gravel, rock and in sloughs mud, but with very few 

 sloughs until a point on the river below Hamilton is reached. 



The river flows through a country which is .well protected by brush and 

 timber its entire length, and with numerous farms and much cultivated land below 

 the old town of Grantsdale, while above that point the valley is narrow with less 

 farming land and more timber, brush and other bank protection. 



Current Is Swift, 



The current is rather swift, and only commences to flow more sedately when 

 it reaches a point opposite Stevensville. Between Florence and Hamilton, a dis- 

 tance of perhaps twenty-six miles, the river is divided into many channels; in 

 some places as many as five being found in going from East to West across its 

 course; this characteristic is noticeable in a less degree north of Florence. 



It will be readily seen that the width, depth and rate of flow cannot be given 

 with any degree of accuracy. The width increases with the inflow of side streams, 

 and varies with the season of the year, ranging from thirty feet in deep, narrow 

 places to two hundred feet in wider reaches, while an equal variation will be 

 found in the depth and temperature for the same reasons. 



At nearly all seasons of the year the water is clear and cold, while in the 

 time of Spring floods, it becomes cloudy, and at certain seasons, usually in August, 

 there are found many drifting pieces of particles of green moss detached by the 

 current from the bottom and carried in suspension with the flow. 



The waters are naturally inhabited by the native or cutthroat trout, the 

 Dolly Varden trout, the Williamson whitefish and in the lower reach by squaw-fish 

 and suckers, the last two named species being formed largely in the dead or black 

 waters. Numerous varieties have been planted, including Eastern Brook, Rainbow 

 and Steel-Head trout and Grayling; none of the latter variety surviving, although 

 many fry have been planted. Very few of the Rainbow and less of the Steel-Head 

 are reported caught, so that the results of plantings of these varieties are regarded 

 as nugatory, while the Eastern Brook trout plantings are in a measure successful. 

 The last named variety thrives best in sloughs, backwater from the river and in 

 more quiet streams where deep holes and still water is found. 



Has Many Affluents. 



Flowing from the Bitter Root range of mountains on the West are numerous 

 streams having a marked generally similarity as to length, depth, rate of flow and 

 surroundings. A list of these streams of most importance will be appended hereto, 

 those having a lake or lakes at the source marked with a star. 



A description of one would answer for all, for they all have the same general 

 characteristics. The streams vary in length from about twelve miles for the 

 smaller ones to twenty-six miles for the larger. They flow rapidly from source 

 through canyons to the point where they debauch therefrom onto the bench lands 

 lying to the West of the Bitter Root River, bench lands used for farming. All 

 of the streams have the waters appropriated for irrigation to the extent of the 

 full flow thereof. During the Spring floods, the waters flow into the Bitter Root 

 (57) 



