Bob Marshall was a forester, author, explorer and leader in the protection of wild lands throughout America. Before Marshall's untimely death, he spent days, weeks and months hiking the unmapped country known as the South Fork of the Flathead River. By the late 1930s, he had laid out initial plans for the designation of the Wilderness area, which included three separate primitive areas: South Fork, Sun River and Pentagon. Marshall was outspoken about the need for protecting wild lands. Today, he is also looked upon as the moving force behind the creation of the Wilderness Society, which still leads the fight for continued protection of our Wilderness areas.
Marshall convinced federal officials and lawmakers that wilderness should be protected. In 1940, shortly after he died, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designated as wilderness 950,000 acres surrounding the South Fork of the Flathead, the Sun River Game Preserve, and the Continental Divide.
In 1964, The Wilderness Act was passed by Congress and the Bob Marshall Wilderness received statutory wilderness protection as a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today, more than 750,000 acres of undeveloped, roadless areas still surround the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
Geography
The high mountains of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex rise to over 9,000 feet, the highest being Rocky Mountain on the Eastern Front at 9,392. Holland Peak, part of the "Swan Front" on the western edge of the Wilderness, rises to 9,356 feet. In the southern portion of the complex, Scapegoat Mountain towers above that wild country at 9,204 feet.
The valley floors throughout the Wilderness average 4,000 feet in elevation. The Continental Divide, which stretches more than 60 miles along the length of the Wilderness, separates the Bob Marshall into several large headwater drainage areas. Wildlife
The Bob Marshall Wilderness is home to elk, whitetail and mule deer, and provides critical habitat to the endangered grizzly bears and gray wolves. Canadian lynx, bobcat, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, wolverines and cougars are also found in the area, along with smaller mammals such as beaver, river otters, snowshoe hares and marten. There are dozens of birds who call this area home, especially in the summer. Bald eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, grouse, woodpeckers - they are all abundant here. In camp areas, you'll find Steller's jays, Clark's nutcrackers, camp robbers, chickadees, nuthatches and more.
Sun River Game Preserve Hunting is not allowed on this game preserve, which lies on the eastern edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It was established in the late 1920s as a refuge for elk, deer, grizzlies and other wildlife, and remains an important winter range area for elk herds.
