blackfoot-valley

Hoodoo Mountain would snatch them away at night if they weren’t good and fell right asleep. At least that’s the way the colorful nineteenth century songwriter and preserver of Irish folk songs, Percy Faith, sang the words in one of his songs “The Hoodoo.” Notwithstanding the existence of supersti- tions of a type common at the time and the occasional crime of passion which occurs everywhere and in all eras, the settlers of the Nevada Valley were a sturdy, self-reliant, intelligent, and straightforward people. In the early days, they had to be. Life was hard. The valley was isolated and a considerable distance from major markets. Winters were long and cold. People had to rely on themselves for subsistence and provide their own entertainments. The Nevada Valley has never had a large population; and most val- ley residents like that. Since the advent of the automobile and paved roads, they have had access to cities within an hour or two for shopping and visit- ing, without being saddled with many of the problems and stresses of mod- ern urban areas. Modernity has eliminated most of the physical hardships that once existed, but longtime residents maintain their heritage of personal independence and self-reliance. People living in the valley number no more than a few hundred, but they have a strong sense of community that all too often is lacking in more populous areas. In the next sections, we will give an overview of the main communities in the area that flank the Ranch, especially Helmville as the heart of the Nevada Valley just east of the Ranch headquar- ters, which is the Ranch’s postal address; and Ovando on the valley’s periph- ery, but close to the Wales northern section of the Ranch. “Early Montana Justice” courtesy Wikimedia 116