Montana

When Danielle Mudd invited The Early Show to visit Nye, Montana, she said she doesn’t live there anymore, but called it “the town where my heart lives.” And co-anchor Rene Syler could see why, when she visited the ultra-tiny speck on a map in the south-central part of the state, for the “Tour My Town” series. Surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, Nye has one store, one saloon, a one-room schoolhouse, and 200 residents. It’s so small, the sign at the town entrance reads, “Entering and Leaving Nye.”

Learn more about Nye at the Web site of the Stillwater County, Montana Chamber of Commerce.

Visit the Web site of the Nye Elementary School and see all four of its students.

And familiarize yourself with the Stillwater Mining Company, one of the world's leading producers of platinum group metals (PGMs) and the only significant primary producer of palladium in the Western Hemisphere. It has a mine in Nye.

LOCATION: Nye is in south-central Montana, in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains.

FACTS: Nye's population is 200. It has a post office, a store known as the Nye trading Post, and a saloon, called Carter's Camp.

HISTORY: Crow Indians lived in Nye until the late 1800s, when homesteaders arrived to stake their claim to the land.

The Nye area has a mining history going back as far as 1864. Among the first prospectors to capitalize on the newly opend territory were Jack Nye and the Hedges brothers, Jimmy and Jonas. The first mining town in the valley, Nye City, was a bustling, promising mining camp. By the end of 1887, a small smelter had been assembled. The town's population peaked at about 400 people and counted at one time, six saloons, a store, a commissary, a boarding house and an assay office. Before full production could get under way, it was discovered that Nye City was inside the Crow Reservation boundaries. In 1889 evacuation was ordered. Protest and appeals were made to no avail.

Mining continues to be an important part of the community.

THE SCENE: Ranches dominate the valley with cattle and sheep populating the fields. The sparkling waters of the Stillwater River offer superb fishing. The spectacular mountains hold mineral treasures that attracted prospectors as early as the 1860's. The drive from Nye to Woodbine Campground and the Stillwater River Trailhead is one of the most scenic in Big Sky Country.