The Madison Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho. The range was named in honor of future President of the United States, then U.S. Secretary of State James Madison by Meriwether Lewis as the Lewis and Clark Expedition travelled through Montana in 1805. The range extends 80 miles from West Yellowstone, Montana to Bozeman, Montana and is flanked by the Madison River on the west and the Gallatin River to the east. The highest point in the range is Hilgard Peak at 11,316 ft, a remote peak that wasn't climbed until 1948. The Madison Range is the westernmost section of what is collectively referred to as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Most of the range lies within Beaverhead-Deerlodge and Gallatin National Forests. A small portion of the range has been further protected with the creation of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. The region has grizzly and black bears and at least one pack of wolves. Most other larger mammal species native to the region continue to exist in the range. Not far to the south of Hilgard Peak, lies Quake Lake, which was created after the 1959 Yellowstone earthquake, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, caused a huge landslide which dammed the Madison River.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Range
Settlement of the Madison Valley followed on the heels of the Gold Rush to Alder Gulch in the mid-1860s. Homesteaders grazed their livestock in the lush meadows of the valley and surrounding mountains, raising beef and mutton to feed the miners.
Today, in addition to meat production, these ranches serve another important ecological role-maintaining pen space and a place for wildlife to prosper.
Thousands of elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, and other smaller animals live, eat, and migrate through the valley. While public lands of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest provide protected habitat in the mountains surrounding the valley, ranch lands of the valley bottom provide essential food, security, and freedom of movement for many animals, particularly in winter.
One of the greatest threats to wildlife is the loss of this critical habitat to human encroachment. As ranches are subdivided, the open space and abundant food supply these area ranches provide are lost.
The locals hope you enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Madison Valley, and trust you will also appreciate the ecological relationship between ranches and wildlife habitat.
www.madisonvalleyranchlands.org/
www.madisonvalleyexpeditions.com/story
Monday, September 19, 2011
MADISON VALLEY ~ SOUTHWEST MONTANA
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