CHARACTEEISTICS OF THE MOUNTAIN AREA. 281 
forests, extending southward, over the Bitterroot, the Coeur d'Alene, 
and Salmon Banges, as far south as the Snake Eiver Plains. 
The Missouri, which in Northern Montana forms the front rank of 
the Eockies, is covered with timber. The valley of Flathead Lake, 
lying at its western base, contains but small patches of open grassy 
country. The valleys of the Deer Lodge, Bitterroot, and Hell Gate 
Eivers are all open and grassy. So with the valley of the Jefferson and 
its branches, the Madison and the Gallatin. These valleys, while not 
sufficiently moist for the growth of timber, are not too arid for grasses. 
The Judith Mountains, the Little Rocky Mountains, and other minor 
groups scattered about in the more northern plains, are well timbered, 
the former particularly so. 
The Yellowstone Eiver heads in the Yellowstone National Park, 
whence it flows in a generally northern course, nearly to the latitude 
4G°, where it turns at right angles to the east, and after a long course 
eastward and northeastward it joins the Missouri at Fort Buford. Its 
upper course is walled in on the east by the Yellowstone Range, which 
separates its drainage. A heavy growth of coniferae covers the country 
about the F/pper Yellowstone, and that surrounding Yellowstone Lake. 
On the river, below the foot of the lake, extending from the Mud Geysers 
nearly to the Falls, a distance of about 10 miles, and westward from the 
river about the same distance, is an open grassy park country of roll- 
ing hills, which was in former times the bed of an arm of the lake. A 
similar area is found on Pelican Creek, a tributary to Yellowstone Lake, 
a few miles above its mouth. Aside from these open and burnable areas, 
very little open country is to be found on this river or its tributaries 
until we pass the Washburn group of mountains. This group of mount- 
ains is in the main part well timbered ; the lower northeastern slopes, 
however, down towards the mouth of Tower Creek, contain little timber, 
and thenceforward the valley and plateaus of this drainage system are 
bare of trees and well grassed. Hayden's Meadows, opposite the mouth 
of the east fork of the Yellowstone, and the plateau above the third 
canon of the river on its left-hand side, are nearly bare of trees. 
Glancing now at the east fork of this stream, we find its immediate 
valley as far up as the mouth of Soda Butte Creek, the valley of the 
latter stream, and of Slough Creek, are all open and covered with grass 
and sage. The mountains about this stream, too, contain little timber 
on their lower slopes. The high, broad ridge which separates the east 
fork from the main river, of which Amethyst Mountain is the culminating 
point, contains very little timber, but is covered with grasses. The head 
of the east fork, however, is in the densely timbered region. 
The next tributary of the Yellowstone of importance is Gardiner's 
Eiver. This stream has an open valley extending from its mouth to the 
forks, a distance of about G miles, with an average width of 2 miles. 
Farther up the stream, on the middle and west forks, is an open val- 
ley, 3 miles long by 3 in width. These valleys are covered with the 
"usual mixture of Artemisia and grass. 
