In the 19th century the Clark Fork Valley was inhabited by the Flathead tribe of Native Americans. It was explored by Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the 1806 return trip from the Pacific. The river is named for William Clark. A middle segment of the river in Montana was formerly known as the Missoula River. The river was also referred to as the Deer Lodge River by Granville Stuart. David Thompson used the name Saleesh River for the entire Flathead-Clark Fork-Pend Oreille river system.

Helena: By 1888, about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more per capita than in any city in the world. They had made their fortunes from gold. About $3.6 billion (in today's dollars) of gold was taken from Last Chance Gulch over a 20-year period. The Last Chance Placer is one of the most famous placer deposits in the western United States. Most of the production occurred before 1868. This large concentration of wealth was the basis of developing fine residences and ambitiou architecture in the city; its Victorian neighborhoods reflect the gold years.

Anaconda was founded by Marcus Daly, one of the Copper Kings, who financed the construction of a smelter on nearby Warm Springs Creek to process copper ore from the Butte mines. In June 1883, Daly filed for a town plat for "Copperopolis", but that name was already used by another mining town in Meagher County. Instead, Daly accepted the name "Anaconda", suggested by the United States postmaster of the time, Clinton Moore.

Established in 1864 as a mining camp in the northern Rocky Mountains on the Continental Divide, Butte experienced rapid development in the late-nineteenth century, and was Montana's first major industrial city.[4] In its heyday between the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, it was one of the largest cop

Great Falls, Montana. July 31
Mrs. Pond. Great Falls, Montana. July 31
Clara, "Giant Springs." Great Falls, Montana. July 31

Mark Twain Archive, Elmira College courtesy of Kevin Mac Donnell, Austin, Texas.