The Sweetgrass HillsJoe Wolery,Chester Public SchoolI have lived at the base of the Sweetgrass Hills all my life, but long before my time The Hills were a sacred place for the Blackfeet (who were the first to refer to the area as "Hills of Sweet Smelling Grass") and Assiniboine tribes. After the Native Americans, came Lewis and Clark. They recorded the "Three Broken Mountains" in Liberty and Toole counties. Then, between 1849-1853, Isaac Ingall Stevens was sent to explore and survey the hills more extensively. Over a century later, I began my own exploration of the hills. When I was little I loved to run to the window to look out to see what the weather was like. I remember looking up at the hills to see if there was snow, frost, or just the shining sun. After looking out the window I couldn't wait to get outside. I would first head down to the creek to see how many fish and frogs were swimming around and then I would go in after them. Then when mom saw what I was doing she would march down to the creek and tell me to get out, yelling "that water is deep enough you could drown!" I always enjoyed when dad would take me into the hills to get a Christmas tree or even go fencing. It didn't matter what we did up there just as long as we were there. I really enjoyed riding horses with dad on the mountain surrounded by the beauty of the hills. When I was seven years old my dad took me up the hill bow hunting. I didn't even care if I got anything; I was just happy to be there. As we walked through the timber I remember taking a little snack break. I would lie back and listen to the trees rustle in the wind. Mom hated the cold, but during the warm summer months she would also take me for hikes in the hills to see what kind of new flowers we could find. We would always come back with our pockets stuffed full of flowers to put in our flower book. We also would look for fish in the creek as we were going and coming. When we would find a deep spot in the creek we would stop and lie on our stomachs and feel for the fish under the bank. After two minutes I could not feel my arms any more, but the joy I felt inside was awesome. I love summertime in the hills. I love looking at all of the trees, and the lush green grass ripple in the wind. I like lying on the hillside listening to the wind blow through the grass. I love to sit and watch the elk and deer graze while sitting on the side of the mountain in the grass. Watching them graze as they walk along not caring about anything or anyone around them is such a tranquil feeling. As I sit there I realize that when I'm in town I am always wondering who is watching or coming up behind me. Yet, out on the side of the mountain I have no worries. The Sweetgrass Hills are not really hills; they're mountains. They are too high in elevation to be hills. At times I hate to come down the mountain because I know when I do that the rat race of civilization will set in. It wasn't so peaceful up there about a 100 years ago. In 1884 a Blackfoot half-breed brought lots of gold seekers to the Sweetgrass Hills. Placer mining began near Middle Butte and then Alfred Bragg discovered gold on East Butte around the same time. They found large amount of metallic ores. Placers took 2,000 ounces of gold from Gold Butte. Then small amounts of gold, copper, coal, and iron came from East Butte, but there hasn't been much mining since that period.. Walking down the mountain today I can see for miles around. There are the buffalo in Meissner's Buffalo pasture. To the north I see Canada, to the south I can see Chester, and to the southeast I can see down the Hi-Line. Everything looks so small and insignificant. The highest mountain, Mount Brown, is 6,958 feet. To the south, Mount Royal is 6,914 feet in elevation and it has several radio towers. To the east, East Butte is 6,566 feet in elevation. Growing up in the hills is so peaceful, it's very unlike the lifestyle of the noise and people filled cities. I feel I have the life of a mountain man with nothing to worry about. On top of these hills I pretty much feel like king of the mountain.
|
|