Paradise Valley

The Yellowstone River Valley south of Livingston, MT is known as Paradise Valley and is truly a special place.  It stretches 33 miles along the river between Livingston and Yankee Jim Canyon about 15 miles north of Gardiner and the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It is bordered by the Absaroka Mountains rising dramatically on the eastern side and Gallatin Mountains to the West.  The valley floor is broad and flat, about 7 miles wide at its widest point, and sits at about 5,000 ft. elevation.  The Mountains rise straight in a series of peaks ranging up to nearly 11,000 ft.

Many streams come down from the mountains into the valley.  One close to our cabin is Pine Creek.  You can drive up Pine Creek Road to a campground and trailhead that will take you to Pine Creek Falls.  It is about a mile walk each way.  Pine Creek Lake is about four miles beyond the Falls.

Sites in the Valley

Pine Creek

We stayed in the little community of Pine Creek between Livingston and Emigrant.  It consists of a school, lodge and concert venue, Methodist Church, and a few ranches.  It is in the central part of the Valley where Pine Creek joins the Yellowstone River.  In 2020, it had a population of 80. The school consists of three rooms housing grades K-8. There are 3 teachers and a principal. Grades K-2 are in one room; grades 3-5 in another; and grades 6-8 in the third.

Mallard’s Rest Fishing Access Site

Mallard’s Rest offers breathtaking views. About 300 ft on a gravel road off the highway, you can see Lazy Horseshoe Bend in the Yellowstone river with the towering peaks of the Absarokas in the background.

Mountains

Mt Cowen is the tallest peak in Paradise Valley. It sits halfway up the valley, at 11,212 ft. on the east side in the Absaroka range. Other tall peaks include Black Mountain at 10, 94 ft; Mineral Mountain at 10, 381 ft; Monitor Mountain at 10, 420 ft; and Mt. Chisholm at 10,333 ft.

Pray

Pray, MT, is a beautiful little town about halfway up the valley. In houses two lovely resorts: Chlico Hot Springs and Sage Lodge. The town was founded in 1907 by Valentine Eggar, an entrepreneur who named it after congressman Charles Nelson Pray. Its population is 790.

Emigrant

Across the Yellowstone River from Pray is the town of Emigrant. It sits a few miles west of Emigrant Peak whose elevation is 10,915 ft. The town originated as a railroad stop for the mining and agricultural activities taking place in the area. In August 1864, three emigrants, who came to Montana on the Bozeman Trail, arrived and found men already hard at work mining the creek. The new arrivals decided to try their luck farther up the rugged gulch, finding pay dirt high up the side of Emigrant Peak. The strike caused a stampede that drew several hundred miners and a few women to this remote area, deep in Crow Indian country. The miners had moderate success for several weeks before cold weather drove them down to Yellowstone City, near the mouth of Emigrant Gulch. By 1866, Yellowstone City had been abandoned due to hostility with the local Indian population and dwindling placer gold. The current town of Emigrant was established in 1911. In 2020, its population was 465. It has a Post Office, a couple of restaurants/bars, a gas station, a small school,, and an Episcopal Church, St. John’s.

History of the Valley

Nelson Story

Nelson Story led the famous cattle drive from Fort Worth, TX, to the Paradise and Gallatin Valleys in 1866 when he drove 1,000 Texan Longhorn cattle into the Valley.  This was the first great cattle drive and established the cattle industry in the area. He became Bozeman’s first millionaire.  Today one can see longhorn cattle on ranches, descendants from that cattle drive.

With a crew of 30-armed men and 1,000 Texas Longhorns, Story set out on the 1,500 mile trip. The traveled along the Bozeman trail, defied the army who told them to stop,  and survived attacks by the Sioux. They reached Paradise Valley in December 1866 and settled close to present day Livingston.

The historic Story Ranch is Montana’s oldest continuously operating cattle ranch, located in Emigrant, MT.  Spanning 12,000+ acres, it is owned and operated by Nelson Story’s descendants.

Fred and Phil Bottler

A year later after the Civil War, Fred and Phil Bottler traveled the Bozeman Trail into the valley.  They claimed 320 acres for their ranch. They were famous for hosting presidents who visited Yellowstone.  Fred also served as a guide and hunter for the Hayden Expedition.  In 1904 after a fire destroyed the home, they rebuilt a Queen Anne style home that stands today.  We will be staying in that home when we return in October.

In 1871, geologist Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition to survey the Yellowstone region. The photographs by William Henry Jackson and paintings by Thomas Moran showed the regions natural wonders and convinced congress to create Yellowstone National Park in 1872