Skiers, horses and riders converge on the small town of Wisdom, Montana,
population - 114 people in 2000. Could be more now...or not.

Wisdom, Montana was named for the Wisdom (now the Big Hole) River
that flows through the town. In 1805 Lewis and Clark, at the confluence
of the tributaries of the Jefferson River near the
present site of the town, Twin Bridges, decided to name the three streams
for the three "cardinal virtues" of the President and benefactor,
Thomas Jefferson. But Philosophy, Philanthropy and Wisdom
proved to be too much for later settlers, who finally changed
the names to the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby rivers.
But the town kept the name Wisdom and later a nearby waterway
was named the Wise River. The other two virtues seem to have
been lost entirely in the renaming process.

The Big Hole Valley is often called the "Valley of 10,000 Haystacks".
It's quite a sight to watch the ranchers put up hay during late July
and early August. They still use the beaverslide, an early-day haying
invention originating right in Beaverhead County.