Alder,
Montana > Alder, MT
 Just a mile down the road from Laurin, and 9 miles
before arriving in Nevada City, is Alder Montana, gateway to the
Upper Ruby Valley and the Ruby Reservoir.
If you like back roads, once you hit the dirt road past the
reservoir you can take a long drive to either Dillon, Lima, Monida,
or by Red Rock Wildlife Reserve on the way to West
Yellowstone. Mind you, this really is "backroads" for many
miles and nothing else. Get out a map and know where you are. It
would be a good idea to pack a cooler as there aren't any stores
or restaurants on the way, and make sure you have good tires on your
vehicle. Several tires have literally bit the dust up here. I know
of one car that had a flat on the way up to Eureka Basin (get out
the Forest Service map to find that), then another on the way down.
No worse than a lot of dirt roads; just plenty of them. Summer
suggestion only; all the higher roads are impassable during the
winter.
History
Gold and silver; miners, farmers, ranchers, and
outlaws. Alder Gulch is where the first gold rush around here began.
Schools
Alder School 406-842-5285
Alder has a K-7 school with dedicated teachers. Involved student
body, parents and school board make for a great learning experience.
With high school students attend school in Sheridan, and therefore
having a bus route to there, Alder area elementary students also
have the choice of attending Sheridan.
Some of the students in Alder come from other
communities nearby, choosing to often spend at least a few years in
this unique environment of small size multi-grade classrooms. Alder
offers a hot lunch program and participation in Western Montana
College's block program for small schools provides a diversity of
learning experiences for the students, including swimming,
workshops, spelling competition, and a very good science fair.
Favorite Places
The baseball field has to count as a favorite place here. Located
out by the school. No parking lot - if there are vehicles parked up
and down the dirt road, you're probably late to the game. The Alder
Market also makes the list - fishing and hunting licenses available
- plus a photo album of successful hunters. The hands-down
local favorite place to eat is the In-Back restaurant. Huge burgers
and homemade fries. The French Dip is great, but even better is the
Western Philly - roast beef piled up on a steak roll with sauteed
onions, peppers, mushrooms, cheese and bbq sauce!
|
|
 |
