Page 115 - Flathead Living // Fall 2016
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A JEWEL
WAS CARVED OUT
“Treasure: something valuable (such as money, jewels, gold, or silver) that is hidden or kept in a safe place”
– Merriam-Webster dictionary
By the 1950s, the local love a air with Jewel Basin was already underway. The area was recognized as special for decades, leading to a sense of urgency to protect this area after logging and road development began diminishing timber stands infected by spruce beetles. A cam- paign started to obtain a wilderness classi cation for an area 5 miles wide extending 50 miles south from Swan Peak and north to Bad Rock Canyon, which included Jewel Basin. This did not come to pass, but through the tireless e orts of many community members and Forest Service o - cials, the Jewel Basin Hiking Area was established on July 2, 1970 under the authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reserving it for hiking and camping with no motorized vehicles, bicycles or horses allowed.
White sh’s newest community featuring single family and townhome lots nestled in the forest with views of White sh Mountain Resort
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