What the National Forests Mean to Montana 



19 



Mineral deposits within the forests are open to development 

 exactly as on other public land. A prospector may go anywhere and 

 stake a claim wherever he finds evidences of valuable minerals. 

 (Fig. 11.) The policy of the Forest Service is to give the mining 

 man all the help possible. The only restriction is that mining claims 

 must be bona fide ones, and not taken up for the purpose of acquir- 

 ing valuable timber or a town or power site, or to monopolize the 

 water supply on stock range. Prospectors may use timber on their 

 claims for development purposes free of charge. 



RECREATION 



Within the past few years has come a great increase in the 

 number of people who are finding recreation in out-of-door pur- 



FiG. 12. — Boy Scouts at camp on Seeley Lake, Missoula National Forest 



suits, such as camping, mountain climbing, camera hunting, and 

 fishing. With the increased use of the automobile, many are finding 

 it possible to explore the country in their own and other States, and 

 automobile tourists from the East are passing by thousands over the 

 main roads of the West. 



The national forests offer an infinite variety of country, from 

 rugged mountain peaks and remote wilderness to more acces- 

 sible regions where one may find good fishing streams, beauti- 

 ful lakes, and an abundance of camping places. The value of the 

 material resources of these forests can be arrived at with some de- 

 gree of accuracy but the more intangible values which they hold for 

 the lover of the out-of-doors can never be computed in dollars and 

 cents, (Fig. 12.), 



