St. Marie was formerly the housing for an Air Force Base. Today the area is a retirement community located between the Canadian border and Fort Peck Dam.
More than 50 different kinds of fish swim in Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana's largest body of water. The lake is about 134 miles in length and has a maximum depth of 220 feet when full. There are over 1,520 miles of shoreline, longer than the California coast. The reservoir was created from 1933 through 1937 by constructing a 3.8 mile-long dam across the Missouri River. Some of the hotly pursued species include walleye (a priority among the serious anglers!), northern pike, paddlefish, sauger, lake trout, small mouth bass and chinook salmon.
Surrounding this large expanse of water is the Charles M. Russell (CMR) National Wildlife Refuge, which provides over one million acres of public land for fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, bird-watching, and other outdoor recreation.
St. Marie is also near the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. About 6,800 Assiniboine and Sioux live on the reservation. It includes more than two million acres of land.
