Dean lenwell fell in love with the yaak in 1958 when his career brought him to yaak air force station. The yaak valley of northwestern montana is one of the last great wild places in the united states, a land of black bears and grizzlies, wolves and coyotes, bald and golden eagles, wolverine, lynx, marten, fisher, elk, and even a handful of humans. The yaak, located in montanas northwest corner, doesnt have cell service. This building is haunted by many apparitions, and was formerly lodging for railroad workers.
Troy is the lowest elevation community in montana, so it is only fitting that the surrounding mountains are also not of high stature. The history channel show returns for another round of episodes on june 6, but og cast member tom oar will be missing from the bunch. The yaak river scenic drive is a twentynine mile, paved route that leads into the remote and seldom visited yaak region of montana. The yaak, located in montanas northwest corner, isnt covered by cell service. To ask other readers questions about the book of yaak, please sign up. This is a book about divides in time and in place, as well as a philosophical reflection. Bass compresses his observations, then frames them as a year of life lived off the grid with his family in northwest montana. The yaak valley of northwestern montana is one of the last great wild places in.
More to the point it is a gateway between what was and what still is within the montana landscape. Yaak is an unincorporated community and censusdesignated place in lincoln county, montana, united states. Yaak area historical earthquake activity is slightly above montana state average. Even as the rest of the western montana landscape was emerging from the. Another strange fact regarding the yaak and its history with water. It is located along the yaak river, within the kootenai national forest. Bullet holes mark the saloons window frame, reminding visitors of the wild biker bar history. Yaak is an unincorporated community and censusdesignated place in lincoln county. In the infamous montana saloon, a lesson about home in harsh places. Montana gained much popularity only after gold was discovered there in 1862. Bass won the story prize for books published in 2016 for his collection of new. The people of the valley make a small, isolated community, with only weak versions of the infrastructure most americans expect such as roads, telephone service, and shopping opportunities. Jun 23, 2016 the yaak, located in montana s northwest corner, isnt covered by cell service. List of books and articles about montana history online.
The land was later subdivided as the callow tract and was approved as the callow addition to west troy on june 2, 1925. He bought a cabin nine miles north of town and gradually modernized it over the next 43 years. Listed below is information and maps on libby montanas fishing locations. The northwest peaks scenic area, a popular hiking area, features spectacular mountain wilderness and.
Located in the far northwest corner of montana, the yaak generally refers to the valley bottom in the south end of the purcell mountain range that contains the yaak river, which flows down from canada into the nearby kootenai river. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot and. Published by the libby pioneer society and the libby womans club. We explored a rural area of montana known as the yaak. Each rental cabin has a queen bed, sleeping loft with two twin beds, one bathroom, a full kitchen, and a gas grill on the porch. The yaak is an amazing place, but it is not the place mr. Whether youre here on era s website or browsing on our mobile app, you can tailor your search criteria to fit your unique tastes tell us your ideal homes location, the right size, and more. Julia mossgreat falls tribune bass and a few others chose this place to settle in, for reasons that elude me. He wasnt born there, but he came to love the place and has made it his home. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the book of yaak. It is in extreme nw montana nestled close to the canada border in the purcell mountains. Considered by some to be one of the last wild places in the lower 48 states, the yaak river valley is an 800,000acre area filled with aspen, pine and larch trees and bordered by the kootenai river to the south and lake koocanusa to the east.
Art in the collection of the montana historical society hardcover autographed. The rocky mountains, valleys and yellow rangeland would make you fall in love with montana. The yaak falls is a gold mine located in lincoln county, montana at an elevation of 2,559 feet. Yaak s general store, service station, lodging, and whatever else you need is another throwback place. Brace yourselves for another harsh winter on season 8 of mountain men, that is. After years of battling the elements in montanas remote yaak river valley, the 70somethingyearold has decided to hang up his hunting traps. Even as the rest of the western montana landscape was emerging from the thinning ice shield, being carved and shredded into many of the same fantastic cirques and spires and scallops that remain still today, the yaak slept beneath thousands of feet of. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. It is a land of magic, but its magic may not be enou. Yaak river watershed sediment tmdl table of contents 1082008 iv table 51.
According to reports, tom is now enjoying retirement with his wife nancy in florida. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. As of the 2010 census, its population was 248 it has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names climate. Yaak, montana travel and vacation weather averages, current conditions and forecasts. Yaaks general store, service station, lodging, and whatever else you need is another throwback place, and can be found on the web as the yaak river tavern and mercantile. These are some of the coziest montana cabin rentals youll find across the state. The yaak valley consists of approximately 2% private property down in the river bottom and the rest is the majestic kootenai national forest. Oar, who has lived in the yaak for the past 35 years, tans his own. The yaak valleys dirty shame yaak attack high country news. Rick bass lives in the yaak valley of northwest montana. We invite you to orient yourself by taking a guided tour or by reading through this introduction and exploring the site on your own. The book of yaak and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal.
Everything is all crammed in on top of everything else. We started the ride to yaak, montana tour after we heard npr played the short story, fires by yaak, montana resident, rick bass. Yaak air force station 19511960 a cold war air force radar station first established in 1951 near yaak, lincoln county, montana. An indian word meaning arrow, yaak anchors montana as the most northwest town in the state. Unique in that its influenced by pacific northwest and rocky mountain climates, the yaak provides more than 180,000 acres of wild, secure roadless habitat for grizzly bears and other rare and. Located in the far northwest corner of montana, the yaak valley is one of the most productive and biologically diverse landscapes in the state. In montana, the yaak river and its tributaries mostly lie within kootenai national forest. Yaak by way of local paths and trails is a gateway too, between idaho and montana and montana and british columbia. There are two bars, a mercantile, a school, a community hall and little else in the town of about 250 people. In the book of yaak he captures the soul of the valley itself, and he shows how, if places like the yaak are lost, we too are lost. Nearby nottobemissed attractions include the yaak river and yaak fallsa beautiful cascading waterfall with jagged exposed rockssome of the oldest rocks in the world.
In winter notes from montana, basss wandering spirit is alive and well and living in the yaak valley in montana without electricity, without heat, other than the woodfired variety, and without much contact with civilization given that only 30 people lived in this remote valley at the time. Building out the definitive list of the best books where montana plays a key role in the book or authors life. The yaak river offers a number of possibilities for both the beginner and advanced floater. Its apparently a relatively unspoiled place and a bit of a garden of eden for our times. Other than topography it is its rich history which has been bestowed to date. The yaak intersects with a curve of the kootenai river, forming the landscape of a bow and arrow. This book was a fulfillment of his promise or boast to produce a book about the yaak. Troy was now the richest town in lincoln county with a population at over 1200 people. The biggest divide is physical location, his place in montana s yaak valley, remote from the outside world. Seventeenmile creek, lap creek, and south fork yaak river watersheds 76 table 52. Montana became a territory of united states of america in 1889.
The only place to stay in yaak montana, this beautiful resort can sleep up to 36 people and is renowned for its beautiful grounds and incredible views. The route follows highway 508, and runs between us highway 2 and the tiny town of yaak, montana. This beautifully cascading waterfall was created by the eastward shift of the pacific plate. Find unique places to stay with local hosts in 191 countries. Fishing the yaak river in montana fishing, floating. This website is rich in resources for teaching and learning about montana history. Browse photos, see new properties, get open house info, and research neighborhoods on trulia. The first is the apparition of an elderly man in an overcoat, who was struck by a train nearby and has haunted the establishment ever since. Above seventeen mile bridge located 4 miles above yaak falls and extending up to the confluence of the east and north fork of the yaak, the river has a mix of gentle to moderate flows, although there is one section of almost dead water that could prove annoying to. As a former resident of the yaak, rick bass is a liar. About the yaak there remains a place in the lower 48 where wildlife present since the end of the last ice age still exists.
Era has the latest mls listings in yaak, mt including new homes for sale, condos for sale, townhomes for sale, foreclosed homes for sale, and land for sale. History channel mountain man lives primitively in the yaak. Yaakarea historical earthquake activity is slightly above montana state average. The yaak valleys dirty shame yaak attack high country. If you are looking for a fishing vacation libby is the place to go. The following are yaak montana homes and land i have listed for sale. It is a land of magic, but its magic may not be enough to save it from the forces threatening it now. In 1987, bass decided to leave his job and his home in jackson and move to yaak valley, montana with his wife.
The only functioning gas pump in yaak, montana, sits across from the dirty shame. Pnt 6 chased by storms, saved by the dirty shame, montana. Montana was completely unlike his previous homes in texas and mississippi. Times we remember in the shadows of the cabinets the shining tree echoes along the kootenai pages from the. Rick basss riveting journal transports the reader to this remote area and helps to involve the reader in his transformation from dependence upon civilization to the ability to appreciate solitude. Beautiful lodge, cabins and private 15 acre obermayer lake in the yaak, on 265 acres completely surrounded by the kootenai national forest. Deep in the northwest corner of montana, yaak is surrounded by incredible outdoor recreation opportunities like fishing, hunting, hiking, camping and biking. Yaak valley, montana by smith henderson nook book ebook. The countryside around yaak is not what you would expect to find in western, montana. The yaak falls has always been a favorite stop on the scenic tour of northwest montana.
If you like peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings give me a call and come and visit us. Its a small valley, bass, a texas transplant, writes in the book of yaak. Winter notes from montana takes place in the yaak river valley of montana in the late 1980s. The yaak valley lies in the northwestern corner of montana. The maps section of the toolbar contains printable pdf files of blank montana maps to download and print.
History of troy montana president t roosevelt initials. Access to the yaak river and the surrounding kootenai national forest is immediate offering easy family activity time if you desire. However, what yaak mountain lacks in elevation it more than makes up in prominence, fire lookout history, and views. Rick bass born march 7, 1958 is an american writer and an environmental activist. The yaak valley of northwestern montana is one of the last great w. As a result of this shifting, some of the oldest rock in the world is exposed. Yaak mountain is a midelevation peak located in northwestern montana, near the town of troy. Rick bass has never been a writer to hold back, but the book of yaak is his most passionate book yet, a dramatic narrative of a man fighting to defend the place he loves. Briefly became an unmanned gapfiller site in 1960 with an id of sm151e and closed in 1960. You havent done montana if you dont make it to yaak. And in addition to being the wettest part of montana, it is the lowest. We have posted much of the material as pdf files, which can be.
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