// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Sun River Valley say to the sun? You're always shining down on me.

Sun River Valley
Floor elevation	3,500 ft (1,100 m)
Geology
Type	River Valley
Geography
Country	United States
State	Montana
District	Cascade County
Population centers	Simms, Fort Shaw, Montana, Sun River, Montana, Vaughn, Montana
Coordinates	47.5147°N 111.8679°W / 47.5147; -111.8679
River	Sun River
Interactive map of Sun River Valley

The Sun River Valley, also commonly referred to as The Valley for short, is a river valley in Cascade County, Montana, United States. The valley helps support agriculture with access to irrigation.

Geography

Due to the proximity of the Sun River, majority of the Sun River Valley contains green vegetation mostly year round. Along with lush vegetation, the valley offers flat land formed by the river, which makes perfect conditions for agriculture, although at one point the soil left from the river was not desirable (See history).

An aerial view of the Sun River in Cascade County

History

the Mullan Road

the Fort Shaw Indian School Women's basketball team

plan of use for Fort Shaw

St. Peter's Mission

Montana Highway 200

The history of the Sun River Valley goes long back before the 21st century. Before modern humans, indigenous people, mosty Blackfeet but often included other tribes roamed where present day communities, homesteads, and other modern conveniences are located now. In addition to Native Americans, there were homesteaders- crossing the Sun River at present day Sun River, Montana using a river crossing, and using the nearby Mullan Road to navigate across the Rocky Mountains. U.S. soldiers and Jesuit priests built Fort Shaw, a major military fort and Jesuit mission built in the 1860s which to help serve during the Civil War. However, the fort was more majorly used to "civilize" the Native Americans. Although the area was busy with many projects and military operations in the making, soon, the fort closed with the Civil War operations declining. However, Fort Shaw was not removed but instead was utilized with a boarding school, church, and other amenities added on to the previous fort's structure, funded by both the previous fort's military personnel and nearby missionaries. The projects ultimately were a success, with high enrollment in the school, good education, and unique opportunities including a highly successful Indian girls basketball team. (1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls Basketball Team) However, very like the fort, the boarding school closed in the 1910s with low demand for Indian education. Afterwards, Native Americans generally left the area, and the Jesuit priests moved their occupations to nearby St. Peter's Mission. Soon, the valley becam somewhat empty, only containing original homesteaders that settled earlier as a result of poor job opportunities. However, two irrigation projects changed that. The formation of the Sun River/Fort Shaw Irrigation Projects started in the 1890s and completed in the 1910s allowed for crops to grow where they previously couldn't before. Additionally, farmers gained better technology, with special improvements to their soil and machinery. As a result of new agricultural oppurtinities, the Sun River Valley experienced a population boom. Many communities stayed with populations anywhere from 150 to 500 for a while, and progress and improvements were made. However, populations soon quickly declined with a drought, but rose once again as it went away. Soon afterwards, a highway, Montana Highway 200, although at the time dubbed a "high-speed gravel road connecting Simms to Bonner", was built in the late 1930s and greatly improved accessibility for transport. With the growing population, the highway was later improved and enlarged to connect the communities of the valley to U.S. 89 junctions by Fairfield and Sun River and to Montana Secondary Highway 21. Additionally, to preserve the history of the Sun River Valley, the Sun River Valley Historical Society was formed in 1977. Today, the valley is mostly the same, but most communities have dropped in population due to urbanization.

Lifestyle/Culture

The Sun River Valley offers a wide amount of jobs, opportunities and experiences. Common jobs in the area typically are involved with farming, ranching, and irrigation. The Sun River Valley offers many recreational opportunities but mostly include hiking, fishing, and hunting. The valley is served by Sun River Valley/Simms and the Vaughn school districts which offer education to those who live in or near the communities of the Sun River Valley.

Communities

The Sun River Valley contains 4 census-designated places. They are:

• Simms
• Fort Shaw
• Sun River
• Vaughn

Special Events

• Valley Fun Days- Early August summer celebration