Arlee (

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Na ...

: nɫq̓alqʷ, nɫq̓a ) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) on the

Flathead Reservation The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish (tribe), Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai (tribe), Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles (tribe), Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the ...

, Lake County,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, United States. The population was 725 at the 2020 census. It is named after Alee, a

chief. The chief's name has no "r", as the Salish alphabet has no letter "r".

Geography

Arlee is in southern Lake County in the Jocko Valley.

U.S. Route 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south U.S. Numbered Highway in the western United States, that connects U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Wickenburg, Arizona, with British Columbia Highway 93 at the Canadian border (north of ...

and

Montana Highway 200 Montana Highway 200 (MT 200) in the U.S. state of Montana is a route running east–west, across the entire state of Montana. From the starting point at Idaho State Highway 200, ID 200, near Heron, Montana, Heron, the highway runs east to N ...

pass through the community together, leading northwest to Ravalli and south to

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

at Wye. Polson, the Lake

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, is north of Arlee via US 93. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the Arlee CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.05%, are water. The Jocko River passes through the northeast side of the community, flowing northwest past Ravalli to the

Flathead River The Flathead River (, , ), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Cla ...

at Sčilíp. Via the Flathead River, it is part of the Clark Fork and

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

watershed.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 602 people, 235 households, and 161 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 268 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 45.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 50.00% Native American, 0.66% from other races, and 3.49% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.15% of the population. There were 235 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $21,188, and the median income for a family was $22,125. Males had a median income of $25,500 versus $19,167 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $11,558. About 37.6% of families and 34.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 51.2% of those under age 18 and 21.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

Arlee was named after the

leader Arlee. In October 1873, he moved a small group of his people from the

Bitterroot Valley The Bitterroot Valley is located in southwestern Montana, along the Bitterroot River between the Bitterroot Range and Sapphire Mountains, in the Northwestern United States. Geography The valley extends approximately from Lost Trail Pass in I ...

, which was designated a "conditional reservation" in the 1855

Hellgate Treaty The Treaty of Hellgate was a treaty agreement between the United States and the Bitterroot Salish, Upper Pend d'Oreille, and Lower Kutenai tribes. The treaty was signed at Hellgate on 16 July 1855. Signatories included Isaac Stevens, superintend ...

, to the Jocko Agency (later Flathead Indian Agency) located a few miles south of the current town of Arlee. This forced move stemmed from the efforts of a congressional delegation led by future president

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

to negotiate

removal from the

. The town and post office were established in 1885.

Culture

Arlee has an annual summer

pow wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

celebration, the Arlee Esyapqeyni.

Montana Salish Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

is taught at the Nkwusm Salish Immersion School.

is spoken in Arlee. Art is popular, and there used to be a gallery that displayed art work. In the 1970s Agnes Vanderburg ran workshops where she passed on Salish culture to younger generations.Gretchen M. Bataille, Laurie Lisa: ''Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary''. Routledge, 2003. ISBN 9781135955861
preview at Google Books

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

has been a significant part of the area culture, with Native and non-native contestants competing. The annual Arlee Rodeo and

Pow Wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

is held on the 4th of July weekend. Numerous tribes participate in Native American regalia with dancing, singing and drumming.

Education

The Arlee Joint School District educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Arlee High School is a Class B school. They are known as the Warriors and Scarlets. Brothers on Three, a New York Times Bestselling book in 2021, is a non-fiction account of students from Arlee and their families.

Media

The ''Valley Journal'' provides local news to Arlee, Charlo, Pablo, Polson, Ronan, and St. Ignatius. The radio station KJFT-FM is a Christian FM station licensed in Arlee. File:Hangin Art Gallery and Gallery Cafe Arlee Montana 2013.jpg, Hangin Art Gallery and Gallery Cafe, ArleeHangin Art Gallery
July 18, 2013 File:McCleod_Peak_-_Arlee_-_MT.jpg, Rainbow over McLeod Peak looking east across Jocko Valley File:Arlee Powwow5.JPG, Arlee Celebration Powwow

References

External links

Arlee community website
{{Lake County, Montana Census-designated places in Lake County, Montana 1873 establishments in Montana Territory