Those of us who live in Bozeman's beautiful Gallatin Valley often take for granted the crystal-clear waters, fertile soils, seas of waving barley and wheat, and unmatched beauty of pine-covered, snow-capped mountains. Visitors never fail to remind us with their "oohs" and "ahs" that we truly live in the Last Best Place.

Not that long ago, one could catch a glimpse of mounted Blackfeet horsemen, skylined, studying the lay of the land and looking for signs of game. Or watch Lewis and Clark as they saw the three forks of the Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison join to form the Missouri River. Or trap for furs alongside mountain man Jim Bridger who eventually took a Shoshone bride. Take, along with Private John Colter, one's first look at the geysers and mud pots of Yellowstone Park. Or even imagine the naked Colter, feet bloodied from prickly pear cactus, pursued by Blackfeet midst their resounding war whoops. Over three hundred miles. And who returned to the Three Forks area the following winter. The Blackfeet viewed this valley as prime hunting ground and vigorously fought to keep intruders out of their territory.

The Gallatin Valley was named by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in honor of Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury under President Thomas Jefferson. Once Lewis and Clark had traversed this area, the Blackfeet were hard-pressed to defend their land. Fur trappers, Catholic priests, European noblemen, and artists followed and the discovery of gold, southwest of the Gallatin Valley, during the mid-1860s led to serious settlement by farmers, ranchers, blacksmiths, and merchants who came to start a new life. along with this culturally diverse group came men on the run from military service during the Civil War, law-abiding men and outlaws, railroaders, bankers, coal miners, lumbermen, barley malters, and, of course, the real estate promoters.

One of these newcomers was speculator John Bozeman. He was quick to realize that the Gallatin Valley offered limitless opportunity for the new immigrants. Along with Daniel E. Rouse and William J. Beall (for whom streets are named), homestead plots were selected and a townsite was platted and staked out in preparation for an immigrant train due there in mid-July, 1864. The townsite centered along Main Street with Rouse and Bozeman streets as the chief intersections. Lewis and Clark had provided the first descriptions of the area sixty years before Bozeman was founded. Clark, who started up the Gallatin from Three Forks with twenty men, Sacajawea and her young son, and a band of fifty horses, wrote, "...a butiful navigable stream. Saw a large Gangue of Elk in the plains and Deer in the river bottoms....I saw several Antelope, common Deer, wolves, beaver, otter, Eagles, hawks, crows, wild gees, does, etc. etc.....and a great deal of Buffalo, their roads in every direction." Not much has changed in the last hundred years. See About Montana for more.

Located in the heart of the Gallatin Valley, Bozeman is a friendly city of around 29,000. Bozeman is the largest city in Gallatin County and the sixth largest city in the state. The home of Montana State University, Bozeman became a city in 1883 under the Territory of Montana. The City operates under the commission/manager form of government.

Bozeman began as a cow town, and agriculture is still the backbone of the community, though its single largest industry is now tourism. Wheat and barley fields, cattle and sheep are part of the natural landscape. Small business and technology are important aspects of Bozeman, and with the conveniences of the fax machine and computer, anyone can live in Montana and carry on business as usual.

Ninety miles north of Yellowstone National Park, the Bozeman area's recreational opportunities are endless. Opportunities for skiing, downhill and cross-country, snowmobiling, hiking, fishing and hunting, biking, camping, and backpacking are just the beginning. There are also art galleries, symphony performances, and opera, and there's nothing like a stroll through the historic downtown area. And there's always shopping and lots of restaurants to choose from. Bozeman is also home to the American Computer Museum, Pioneer Museum, and the Museum of the Rockies.

While the Gallatin Valley experiences a slow-coming, late spring, once summer arrives, the days are warm and sunny. It is not uncommon to have snow in May and June and a third of the annual precipitation falls during these months. At 4800 feet in elevation, Bozeman's mean average temperature in August is a warm and pleasant 81 degrees. The average growing season is 107 days with the last killing frost toward the end of May, first of June. The first killing frost arrives around the end of August or beginning of September.

Three Forks was the fourth town to be built at the historic crossroads of the headwaters of the Missouri. The railroad provided encoragement for the new town, but the branch to Radersburg was not completed and debt had been incurred. However, the people of Three Forks persevered and with a longer growing season than Bozeman and with adequate water and diverse mineral deposits on every side, the town has prospered.

From the beginning, Three Forks was fortunate to have the flanking communities of Willow Creek, Logan, and Trident. The Willow Creek settlement began with a mining boom in nearby Norwegian Gulch. Logan became somewhat of a division point for the Northern Pacific railroad and was described in 1907 as being a "bustling railroad town." The town was named for Mrs. Odelia Logan from whom the railroad had purchased its land.

Trident began with a rich limestone deposit discovered by Daniel A. Morrison while on an exploring expedition. The name Trident was chosen when the new railroad town down the road became Three Forks. Trident is the Latin equivalent, meaning "three prongs." Well-known for its cement plant, Trident was constructed as a complete company town with some fifty houses, a school, store, and post office. In 1971, the plant was declared inefficient and the community was complaining of high pollution emission. A new plant was constructed and still contributes to the economy of the lower valley.

Like Three Forks, Manhattan had several predecessors in its background. In 1890, a group of New York businessmen became interested in the possibilities of the Gallatin as a source of malting barley. Conditions were favorable and the dry climate at harvest time assisted in producing perfect grain for malt. The Manhattan Malting Company was organized.

Then, in 1916, with the coming of prohibition, the malting business came to an end. But the community had established soundly operated and well-watered farms, and the transition from the malting market to grain farming was smooth at a time when the need for grain was high in World War 1.

Amsterdam began as a Presbyterian town. With more families coming from Holland and other Dutch settlements in the United States, the Presbyterian church withdrew and the Christian Reformed Church's influence grew. Now a business center of its own, Amsterdam is a thriving community. You will still find the family names of the first group of immigrants from Holland such as Alberda, Braaksma, Kamps, Kimm, Van Dyken, and others playing a major part in the community.

Belgrade was referred to as "The Hub of the Gallatin" in its early years. The small settlements of Central Park on the river to the west and Springhill at the foot of the mountains to the east are still fertile farming areas. Thomas Buchanan Quaw was the chief booster for the town of Belgrade. He said upon discovering the area, "Here I'll live, and here I'll die." And he did. Quaw set up a real estate office in Bozeman and became postmaster in Belgrade some years later. The primary school in Belgrade bears his name.

So come and visit our Gallatin Valley and rediscover what made our area what it is today, friendly, prosperous, and beautiful. It will be an experience you will not forget.