Natural Resources

Tens of thousands of years ago, massive glacial floods swept through what is now Mineral County and carved out a dramatic landscape of gorges and valleys. Gold-seekers sought their fortune in the gulches, and lumber companies found wealth in the large stretches of forest. Settlers built their towns on the Clark Fork River, following a pattern first established by American Indians who camped along the river banks. The history of Mineral County’s people is tied inextricably to the history of its landscape and natural resources.