Chief Cliff
John Ansotegui
Elmo is on the Big Arm of Flathead Lake in western Montana. Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. Twenty-eight miles long and 15 miles wide, Flathead Lake is renowned for its fishing. Wild Horse Island State Park, a 2,163-acre wilderness area on the west shore of the lake, is home to bald eagles, bighorn sheep, and wild horses.
Flathead Valley is also known for its orchards, which produce famous Flathead cherries, apples, plums, apricots and pears. The Flathead area is one of the top cherry-growing regions in the country. Each season, thousands of people flock to the orchards along Flathead Lake to pick cherries or buy them from roadside stands, and the harvest provides a unique experience for visitors. Several thousand tons of cherries are harvested annually, contributing millions to the area's economy. Many of the orchards are family businesses that have been in operation for multiple generations.
The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. The tribes are a combination of the Salish, the Pend d'Oreille and the Kootenai. On the Flathead Indian Reservation, Elmo is also the site of the Standing Arrow Pow Wow during the third weekend of July. This is an Indian social gathering featuring drumming, dancing, and traditional dress and food. Nearby is Chief Cliff, a spiritual site to reservation Indians. Some say an Indian maiden can be seen standing on this cliff.
