Native Man Fishing in the Pend d' Oreille River, Very Early 20th Century

Is there anything more soothing than a fishing trip?  For centuries, Montanans have gone to the lake, river, or stream for a relaxing afternoon - and if they caught something, so much the better. 

This picture shows a Native-American man fishing on the banks of the Pend d' Oreille River, then a local name for what we now call the Flathead River.  The Pend d' Oreille was also a name for the Kalispel Indians, who lived in Washington, Idaho and Montana.  Today, many Kalispel Indians live in Montana's Flathead Reservation, along with the Salish and Kootenai tribes.  It is unclear from the photo to which tribe this man belongs. 

We do know the photo was taken on the Reservation by Edward H Boos.  

The picture was taken by photographer Edward H. Boos, born in Kentucky but a nearly lifelong Montana resident known for his beautiful portraits of Native Americans. Among his other achievements, Boos was along for the famous "bicycle corps" expedition of 1897, when the U.S. Army 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps travelled from Fort Missoula to St. Louis, Missouri, a trip of some 1900 miles, all on bicycle.

We hope that this man caught something big that day, or at least told his buddies he did.