Flathead Indian Reservation

Home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, this 1.2-million-acre reservation is also a fascinating historical sight. Archaeological evidence indicates that Native Americans were here some 14,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until the 1700s that the Kootenai, Salish, and Pend d’Oreille shared common hunting grounds in this area. The people hunted bison, descendants of which you can see at the National Bison Range. When Catholic "Black Robes" arrived to convert the native Americans, they built the St. Ignatius Mission. The tribes hold a fishing tournament called Mack Days every spring and fall, where up to $50,000 in cash prizes are awarded for catching Flathead Lake's prodigious lake trout.