Column: Chief Cliff still an undeniably spiritual place in Montana

There are several legends about Chief Cliff. None more “right” or “wrong” than another. And despite their differences, they profess a profound commonality: Chief Cliff is undeniably a spiritual place.

One legend unfolds from the physical elements of the cliff, which climbs some 150-feet upward. Near the middle of the cliff, there is a rock formation – and illusion of perception.

A glance upward while traveling along U.S. Highway 93 reveals little. However, with a moment of pause, one can see what appears to be a woman with her hands despairingly folded before her. Legend holds she is forlorn, waiting for her warrior husband to return from battle, as she looks out from the cliff to welcome him home.

Another legend exists far beyond the realm of plain sight: it’s the legend of Chief Æneas, aka “Big Knife.”

Chief Æneas led his people during perhaps the most tumultuous time in their history. The late 19th-century saw more and more “whites” encroaching – and exploiting – the hallowed lands of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the surrounding country that had been home to Native Americans for hundreds of years before.