Bitterroot Valley - Ravalli County, MT - Immortalized in Lyrics on Waymarking.com

‘He was born in the Bitterroot Valley in the early morning rain…’

So begins John Denver’s song about an orphaned boy who grew up in Montana and after a brief sojourn in a city, returned to his home: ‘There was something in the city that he said he couldn’t breathe, there was something in the country that he said he couldn’t leave.’

This song has the distinction of appearing on both a ‘best of…’ list and a ‘worst of…’ list. “Wild Montana Skies” ranked number one in a Great Falls Tribune poll of best songs about Montana. But the New York Daily News listed it as the second worst song with the word ‘wild’ in its title. (I guess they didn’t like the part about not being able to breathe in the city.) I always liked the song but mainly because Emmylou Harris sings backing vocals on the recording.

Montana’s Bitterroot Valley extends from just south of Missoula to the Lost Trail Pass on the border with Idaho. The city of Corvallis claims to be the heart of the Bitterroot Valley. The coordinates I provided are for where the photos were taken along US 93 which runs the entire length of the valley. The mountain is Trapper Peak in the Bitterroot Range which forms part of the border between Montana and Idaho. Both the mountain range and the valley are named for a small flowering herb called the Bitterroot which can be found in the area and is also the state flower of Montana.

Musician: John Denver Name of Song: Wild Montana Skies Relevant Verse: He was born in the Bitterroot Valley in the early morning rain; Wild geese over the water heading north and home again... Location website: Not listed

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