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The Bitterroot Range (a subrange of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
) runs along the border of Montana
Montana

Montana is a U.S. state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains....
 and Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
 in the northwestern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers (24,223 sq mi
Square mile

The square mile is an Imperial system and US customary system of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared....
) and is named after the bitterroot
Bitterroot

The bitterroot is a small, low, pink flower with yellow center. It is the state flower of Montana in the United States.The plant is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot and a simple or branched base....
 (Lewisia rediviva), a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.

805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis was an United States explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark , whose mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase....
 and William Clark and aided by the Nez Perce
Nez Perce

The Nez Perce are a tribe of Native Americans in the United States who live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is estimated that at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition the native people had been in the area for over 10,000 years....
 Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 tribe, crossed the Bitterroot Range, first entering the Bitterroot Valley from the south via Lost Trail Pass
Lost Trail Pass

Lost Trail Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains, on the border between Idaho and Montana in the Bitterroot Mountains. The pass is at an elevation of 7014 feet AMSL and is traversed by U.S....
, and then exiting to the west via Lolo Pass
Lolo Pass (Idaho-Montana)

Lolo Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the northern Rocky Mountains on the border between the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho approximately west-southwest of Missoula, Montana, Montana....
.

Bitterroot Range runs from the Cabinet River Gorge (near Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint, Idaho

Sandpoint is a city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, Idaho, United States. Its population was 6,835 at the United States Census, 2000....
) to Monida Pass
Monida Pass

Monida Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains that divides the Beaverhead Range and the Centennial Range....
, and includes the following subranges:


Beaverhead Mountains are the southeastern-most portion of the Bitterroot Range and encompass an area of 4,532 square miles (11,738 km²).






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The Bitterroot Range (a subrange of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
) runs along the border of Montana
Montana

Montana is a U.S. state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains....
 and Idaho
Idaho

The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
 in the northwestern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers (24,223 sq mi
Square mile

The square mile is an Imperial system and US customary system of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared....
) and is named after the bitterroot
Bitterroot

The bitterroot is a small, low, pink flower with yellow center. It is the state flower of Montana in the United States.The plant is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot and a simple or branched base....
 (Lewisia rediviva), a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.

History

In 1805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis was an United States explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark , whose mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase....
 and William Clark and aided by the Nez Perce
Nez Perce

The Nez Perce are a tribe of Native Americans in the United States who live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is estimated that at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition the native people had been in the area for over 10,000 years....
 Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 tribe, crossed the Bitterroot Range, first entering the Bitterroot Valley from the south via Lost Trail Pass
Lost Trail Pass

Lost Trail Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains, on the border between Idaho and Montana in the Bitterroot Mountains. The pass is at an elevation of 7014 feet AMSL and is traversed by U.S....
, and then exiting to the west via Lolo Pass
Lolo Pass (Idaho-Montana)

Lolo Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the northern Rocky Mountains on the border between the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho approximately west-southwest of Missoula, Montana, Montana....
.

Ranges

The Bitterroot Range runs from the Cabinet River Gorge (near Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint, Idaho

Sandpoint is a city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, Idaho, United States. Its population was 6,835 at the United States Census, 2000....
) to Monida Pass
Monida Pass

Monida Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains that divides the Beaverhead Range and the Centennial Range....
, and includes the following subranges:

Bitterrootmtnsmt

Beaverhead Mountains

The Beaverhead Mountains are the southeastern-most portion of the Bitterroot Range and encompass an area of 4,532 square miles (11,738 km²). They lie to the east of the Bitterroot Mountains and lie to the west of the Big Hole Basin and the Pioneer Mountains
Pioneer Mountains (Montana)

The Pioneer Mountains cover in Beaverhead County, Montana in southwestern Montana, United States.The highest peaks in this range include:# Tweedy Mountain ...
. Passes in the mountains include Big Hole Pass, Big Hole Pass II, Junction Pass, Monida Pass
Monida Pass

Monida Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains that divides the Beaverhead Range and the Centennial Range....
, and Soudough-Muddy Pass. The Beaverheads are further subdivided into the West Big Hole Mountains, the Big Hole Divide, the Tendoy Mountains, the Italian Peaks, and the Garfield Peaks.

Bitterroot Mountains

The Bitterroot Mountains, comprised of the Northern and Central Bitterroot Ranges, are the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range and encompass an area of 4,862 square miles (12,593 km²). The mountains are bordered on the north by Lolo Creek, on the south by the Salmon River
Salmon River (Idaho)

The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Salmon is also known as The River of No Return. It flows for through central Idaho, draining and dropping more than between its headwaters above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and its confluence with the Snake River....
, on the east by the Bitterroot River
Bitterroot River

The Bitterroot River is a tributary of the Clark Fork River in southwestern Montana, USA. It runs for about 75 miles  south-to-north through the Bitterroot Valley, from the Confluence of its West and East forks near Conner to the Clark Fork near Missoula, Montana....
 and Valley
Bitterroot Valley

The Bitterroot Valley is located in southwestern Montana in the northwestern United States. It extends over 100 miles from remote Horse Creek Pass north to a point near the city of Missoula....
, and on the west by the Selway
Selway River

The Selway River is located in North Central Idaho in the northwestern United States within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. It is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in the Clearwater National Forest....
 and Lochsa
Lochsa River

The Lochsa River is located in the northwestern United States, in the mountains of North Central Idaho. It is one of two primary tributaries of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in the Clearwater National Forest....
 Rivers. Its highest summit is Trapper Peak
Trapper Peak (Montana)

Trapper Peak is the highest point in the Bitterroot Mountains, part of the larger Bitterroot Range in Western Montana Montana. The peak is located within the Central Bitterroot Range subrange of the Bitterroot Mountains and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness....
, at 10,157 feet (3,096 m).

Centennial Mountains

The Centennial Mountains encompass an area of 2,064 square miles (5,346 km²).

The Centennials are home to Brower's Spring
Brower's Spring

Brower's Spring is a spring in the Centennial Mountains of Montana that is believed to be the ultimate headwaters of the Missouri River.The spring is named for Jacob V....
, discovered in 1888 by Jacob V. Brower
Jacob V. Brower

Jacob Vandenberg Brower was a prolific writer of the Upper Midwest region of the United States who championed the location and protection of the utmost headwaters of the Mississippi River and Missouri River rivers....
, which is believed to be the furthest point on the Missouri River
Missouri River

The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison River, Jefferson River, and Gallatin River rivers in Montana, and flows through Missouri River Valley south and east into the Mississippi north of St....
. Brower published his finding in 1896 in "The Missouri: It's Utmost Source."

The site of Brower's Spring at around 8,800 feet (2,680 m) feet in the Centennials. The site now commemorated by a rock pile at the source of Hellroaring Creek which flows into Red Rock River and then into Clark canyon reservoir where it joins the Beaverhead River and then the Big Hole River
Big Hole River

The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 153 miles  long, in southwestern Montana in the United States....
 before ultimately hooking up with the Jefferson River
Jefferson River

The Jefferson River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Montana.The Jefferson River and the Madison River form the official beginning of the Missouri at Missouri Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, Montana....
.

Coeur d'Alène Mountains

The Coeur d'Alène Mountains are the northwestern-most portion of the Bitterroot Range and encompass an area of 2,590 square miles (6,708 km²). The mountain range's two highest peaks are the 7,352 foot (2,241 m) Cherry Peak and the 6,837 foot (2,084 m) Patricks Knob.

Saint Joe Mountains

The Saint Joe Mountains, the smallest named portion of the Bitterroot Range, encompass an area of 698 square miles (1,808 km²). They lie between the St. Joe River on the south, the Couer d'Alène River on the north, the Slate Creek saddle on the east and the plateau of the Moscow, Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the county seat of Latah County, Idaho and the home of the University of Idaho, the Land-grant university institution and primary research university for the state....
/Pullman, Washington
Pullman, Washington

Pullman is a city in Whitman County, Washington, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 United States Census. The main campus of Washington State University is located in Pullman....
 area on the Idaho/Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
 border.

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