(Lewis) and to the south (Clark). In 1841, Jesuit priests led by Pierre-Jean De Smet founded St. Mary's Mission near present-day Stevensville. It was the first permanent white settlement in what is now Montana. Fort Owen was established nearby in 1850, and difficult relations occurred between the white settlers and the Salish until 1891, when the native tribes were forced to remove to the Flathead Indian Reservation. In 1877, Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce tribe passed south through the Bitterroot Valley, fleeing the U.S. Army. They exited the East Fork via Gibbons Pass, near where they fought at the Battle of the Big Hole. The Bitterroot Valley had nearly a million apple trees in the early 1900s, and was one of the world's largest producers of MacIntosh apples at that time. Irrigation was provided by about of canals. Although the Bitterroot Valley's orchards became less competitive with apple orchards in Washington state after hailstorms in 1922 and 1923, it is still home to one of the nation's largest cider orchards. Settlement has continued since that time. The population of Ravalli County in the 2000 census was 36,070; 40,212 in the 2010 census. The major industries are ranching, agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Recreation The Bitterroot Valley offers many recreational activities, including: hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and rock climbing in the surrounding mountains; and birding and fishing along the Bitterroot River. The valley is popular with hunters, for big game, upland birds, and waterfowl. In popular culture The Bitterroot Valley is mentioned as the protagonist's birthplace in the song "Wild Montana Skies," from John Denver's album It's About Time (1983). The valley is the primary shooting location of the TV series Yellowstone. See also Bitterroot River Flathead Indian Reservation References External links A virtual aerial image, looking northwest across all of the Bitterroot Range and the Bitterroot Valley, can be viewed at this external link. Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce Bitterroot Historical Society Oral History Project (University of Montana Archives) Valleys of Montana Landforms of Missoula County, Montana Landforms of Ravalli County, Montana