Tales From the Yaak

This a book about the grizzly bears. It's about the caribou and the early trappers and miners who wandered into this forgotten part of Montana called the Yaak. It is the story of the early homesteaders who struggled to settle and survive in this harsh and remote part of Western Montana. The land of the Yaak is a land of diversity in its towering, tall trees. This Western larch, cedar, white pine, ponderosa pine, alpine larch, white bark pine and many more. They make this place what it is. This massive forest stretches from the Canadian border to the Kootenai River in the south. Its varied wildlife is like no other parts of Montana. From grizzly bears to porcupines, to the caribou that once inhabited this one-of-a-kind place.The Yaak is a uniquely beautiful world different from any other parts of Montana's wonderlands. It's about the people, some real and some fictional that brings the stories of its history to life with their daily struggles to survive and thrive in this place of abundance.This book is about the Yaak and its abundance of flowing waters of its many streams and creeks that join in harmony to create the river song of the Yaak River. It's about its many waterfalls and the dreams of wandering prospectors and miners looking for that elusive shining gold.The Yaak of Montana is changing. No longer the land of loggers, of timber cutters or log trucks. The Yaak of Montana is becoming the land of million-dollar homes sitting along the riverbanks. Recreational vehicles have replaced logging trucks. Tourists have replaced the loggers looking to buy a summer home.This forgotten corner of Montana is the story of those that have survived and called this place home for generations. It is about the changing times and the pressures involved in this part of the world. Its about older Yaak homesteaders trying to find their way in this new world. From developers wanting to subdivide for hunting lodges to conservation groups all hoping to get their piece of this wonderland.