Wild River Pioneers by John Fraley- New Edition

Wild River Pioneers
Adventures in the Middle Fork of the Flathead, Great Bear Wilderness & Glacier National Park
2nd Edition

by John Fraley

published by Farcountry Press

• From its headwaters, the Middle Fork of the Flathead River flows 92 wild and scenic miles through the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wildernesses and alongside Glacier National Park. It also flows through history, carrying the stories of explorers, trappers, prospectors, railroad builders and train robbers, moonshiners, hoteliers, horse packers, wilderness rangers, and more. Author John Fraley (Heroes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness; A Woman’s Way West; Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers) knows this river and its stories as well as anyone, and Wild River Pioneers is his collection of true tales about shootouts, grizzly bear attacks, a murder (and a hanging), secret caves, fortunes won and lost, a wily Josephine Doody bootlegging in Glacier National Park, and an ice cream–eating pet bear.

  • 2nd Edition updated with new information and images

  • Meticulously researched from primary sources and in-person interviews

  • Amply illustrated with historical photographs

364 pages, 6 x 9, 92 b/w photos, 2 illustrations, 2 map(s), softcover

RELEASE DATE
6/1/2021

John Fraley came to Montana as a teenager to attend the University of Montana, where he received a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. He continued his education at Montana State University and received an M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Management. John worked for the state wildlife agency for nearly forty years, mostly in the forks of the Flathead River. He retired in 2017. For thirty-four years he has also served as an adjunct instructor at Flathead Valley Community College, where he teaches wildlife conservation and other courses. John has written numerous magazine articles on the history of the Flathead country. His other books include Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers; A Woman’s Way West; and Heroes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. John’s wife, Dana, and children, Kevin, Heather, and Troy, share with him a love of wandering around the backcountry of the three forks of the Flathead River.