Images of Paradise Valley, Montana, including Emigrant and Livingston, and the northern end of Yellowstone National Park.

Between Gardiner and Livingston Montana, the Yellowstone River passes through Paradise Valley. Bordered on the east by the Absaroka Mountains and by the Gallatin Mountains on the west, it offers fantastic fly fishing, breathtaking views and a number of natural hot springs, including Chico Hot Springs near the town of Emigrant.

Emigrant was established in 1864. Three emigrants, who came to Montana on the Bozeman Trail, arrived and found men already hard at work mining the creek. The new arrivals struck pay dirt high up the side of Emigrant Peak. The strike caused a stampede that drew several hundred miners and a few women to this remote area deep in Crow Indian country. The miners worked the gravel with some success for several weeks before cold weather drove them down to Yellowstone City, near the mouth of Emigrant Gulch. By 1866, most of the miners drifted away because of hostile Indians and dwindling placer gold. The Emigrant Gulch strike was not a fabulous one, but snug stakes rewarded many of the pioneers for their energy and hardships.

There’s a lovely old church in Emigrant, St. John’s Episcopal. The first Episcopal service held in Emigrant was in 1897 at the Emigrant Hall until the church was built in 1898 from money earned by basket socials and local contributors.

Today the area is a destination for fishermen, hunters and those who just love the spectacular landscape.