The Salish Mountains are located in the northwest corner of the U.S. State of Montana. Much of the range is bordered on the east by

Flathead Lake Flathead Lake ( fla, člq̓etkʷ, label=Salish, kut, yawuʔnik̓ ʔa·kuq̓nuk) is a large natural lake in northwest Montana. The lake is a remnant of the ancient, massive glacial dammed lake, Lake Missoula of the era of the last interglacial. ...

. With peaks ranging from just under 7,000 feet tall to named hills that are a little short of 3,600 feet in elevation the Salish Mountain range is a lesser known mountain range in northwestern Montana. Many of the peaks in the range are rounded tree-covered summits but occasionally the mountain summits are found on open grassy slopes that afford great views into the surrounding valleys and neighboring mountain ranges. The Salish Mountains cover a triangle-shaped land mass of about 4,125 square miles of lush forests and peaks. The Salish Mountains are named for the Native Americans who called this area their home for centuries before white man settled here. The Salish originated in the Pacific Northwest and were called the

Flathead Indians The Bitterroot Salish (or Flathead, Salish, Selish) are a Salishan languages, Salish-speaking group of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans, and one of three tribes of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead ...

by the first white men who came to the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. The Flatheads call themselves Salish meaning "the people". Although never a large tribe, the Salish had a reputation for bravery, honesty, and general high character and for their friendly disposition towards the whites. When first known, about the beginning of the last century, they subsisted chiefly by hunting and the gathering of wild roots, particularly camas, dwelt in skin tipis or mat-covered lodges, and were at peace with all tribes excepting their hereditary enemies, the powerful Blackfeet who lived across the

continental divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

on the Great Plains.

Notes

Mountain ranges of Montana Landforms of Lincoln County, Montana {{LincolnCountyMT-geo-stub

See also

Notes