Selish Range

East of the Bitterroot Valley, the Sapphire Mountains rise between the Bitterroot River and Rock Creek. Their forested slopes overlook the Salish homeland, a country of valleys and mountain routes extending east toward the plains. Salish hunting parties travelled across the mountains in search of bison, while the rivers and forests nearer home supplied fish and game. To the west of the valley stands the higher Bitterroot Range, enclosing the long corridor between the two chains.