Pryor Mountains

Last updated
Pryor Mountains
The Pryors Billings.JPG
Pryor Mountains
Highest point
PeakEast Pryor Mountain
Elevation 8,776 ft (2,675 m)
Coordinates 45°10′06″N108°20′07″W / 45.16833°N 108.33528°W / 45.16833; -108.33528
Naming
Native nameBaahpuuo Isawaxaawuua (Crow)
Geography
CountryUnited States
StateMontana

The Pryor Mountains [1] are a mountain range in Carbon and Big Horn counties of Montana, and Big Horn County, Wyoming. They are located on the Crow Indian Reservation and the Custer National Forest, and portions of them are on private land. [2] They lie south of Billings, Montana, and north of Lovell, Wyoming. [2]

Contents

The mountains are named for Sergeant Nathaniel Hale Pryor, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition who vainly pursued horses stolen from the expedition in the area. [3] The Crow Tribe, a Native American tribe which lived nearby, called the mountains Baahpuuo Isawaxaawuua ("Hitting Rock Mountains") because of the abundance of flint there (which was chipped into arrowheads). [4]

According to Crow Tribe folklore, Little People (a race of 18 in [46 cm]-high dwarf-like people with spiritual powers) lived in these mountains. [5]

Geology

Pryor Mountain terrain Pryor Mountains - Montana.JPG
Pryor Mountain terrain

The Pryor Mountains are a 145,000-square-mile (380,000 km2) region of Montana and Wyoming. [6] The Pryor Mountains consists of Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks [7] the most prominent unit is limestone (known as the Madison Group limestone) laid down about 300 million years ago. [8] [9] The limestone and older sediments rest on Archean metamorphic rock consisting of gneiss and schists. [7] The gneiss is exposed along the northeast escarpment of East Pryor Mountain. [7] During the Laramide orogeny in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene Period (about 70 to 60 million years ago), [10] the limestone was faulted and uplifted. The 705 to 740 feet (215 to 226 m) thick limestone blocks [9] were tilted and uplifted as large blocks with the northeastern corner of the blocks forming the Bighorn and the Pryor Mountains. [8] [11]

Caves, carved by groundwater, can be found in the limestone throughout the Pryors. [12] Among the better known are Big Ice Cave on the eastern edge of Pryor Mountain, Mystery Cave (which contains some of the best speleothems of all the caves in the Pryors), [13] False Cougar Cave on East Pryor Mountain (which was used by Native Americans at times in the past), Shield Trap Cave (which features a vertical shaft about 33 ft [10 m] deep), Little Ice Cave, and Bell Trap Cave (which is similar to Shield Trap). [14] Other popular features of the Pryors include Froggs Fault, a huge fissure in the earth, and a buffalo jump near Dry Head Lookout. [15] Just below Dry Head Lookout is a small pocket in the cliff face surrounded by a low man-made fence of rock. This is a place used by several Native American tribes for vision quests, and as of 1971 was perhaps the last undisturbed such place in the United States. [15]

The Pryors from Billings South Hills Pryors Billings.JPG
The Pryors from Billings South Hills

The tallest peak in the Pryor Mountains is East Pryor Mountain (elevation 8,822 feet (2,689 m)). [16]

The Bighorn River flows north from Wyoming and through the plateau between the Bighorn and Pryor mountains. The river flows between the two mountain ranges, and has cut the Bighorn Canyon deep into the limestone. [8]

Crooked Creek, one of the few perennial streams in the area, divides the Pryors in two and is one of the few places where Yellowstone cutthroat trout may be found. [17] The Pryors contain the most diverse bat habitat in Montana as well, with 10 species found there. [17]

Feral stallions fighting- Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range - Montana Feral stallions fighting- Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range - Montana.jpg
Feral stallions fighting- Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range - Montana

Wild horse refuge

The Pryor Mountains are also home to the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range, a protected area that is home to a herd of free-roaming feral horses. [18] This herd was the subject of the 1995 documentary film Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies and its sequel, the 2003 documentary film Cloud's Legacy: The Wild Stallion Returns. [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow people</span> Indigenous ethnic group in North America

The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke, also spelled Absaroka, are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation, the Crow Indian Reservation, located in the south-central part of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billings, Montana</span> Largest city in Montana, U.S.

Billings is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 184,167 in the 2020 census. With one of the largest trade areas in the United States, Billings is the trade and distribution center for much of Montana east of the Continental Divide. Billings is also the largest retail destination for much of the same area. The Billings Chamber of Commerce claims the area of commerce covers more than 125,000 square miles (320,000 km2). In 2009, it was estimated to serve over 500,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absaroka Range</span> Mountain range in Montana and Wyoming, United States

The Absaroka Range is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about 150 mi (240 km) across the Montana–Wyoming border, and 75 mi (120 km) at its widest, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park along Paradise Valley, and the western side of the Bighorn Basin. The range borders the Beartooth Mountains to the north and the Wind River Range to the south. The northern edge of the range rests along I-90 and Livingston, Montana. The highest peak in the range is Francs Peak, located in Wyoming at 13,153 ft (4,009 m). There are 46 other peaks over 12,000 ft (3,700 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bighorn River</span> River in Wyoming and Montana, United States

The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately 461 miles (742 km) long, in the states of Wyoming and Montana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the bighorn sheep he saw along its banks as he explored the Yellowstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowstone River</span> River in the western United States

The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 692 miles (1,114 km) long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountains and high plains of southern Montana and northern Wyoming, and stretching east from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of Yellowstone National Park. It flows northeast to its confluence with the Missouri River on the North Dakota side of the border, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Williston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bighorn Mountains</span> Mountain range in Wyoming and Montana, United States

The Bighorn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 mi (320 km) northward on the Great Plains. They are separated from the Absaroka Range, which lie on the main branch of the Rockies to the west, by the Bighorn Basin. Much of the land is contained within the Bighorn National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in Montana and Wyoming, United States

Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness was created from existing National Forest lands in 1978 and is located in Montana and Wyoming, United States. The wilderness encompasses two distinct mountain ranges: the Beartooth and Absaroka ranges. These ranges are completely distinct geologically speaking, with the Absaroka composed primarily of volcanic and metamorphic rock, while the Beartooth is made up almost entirely of granitic rocks. The Absaroka are noted for their dark and craggy appearance, lush and heavily forested valleys, and abundant wildlife. The highest peak in the range, in Wyoming, is Francs Peak at 13,153 feet (4,009 m). The Beartooth is more alpine, with huge treeless plateaus and the highest peak of Montana. The wilderness has more than 120 peaks over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and 28 peaks over 12,000 feet (3,700 m), including Montana's highest, Granite Peak at 12,799 feet (3,901 m). The wilderness is integral to the 20-million-acre (81,000 km2) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and borders Yellowstone National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshone National Forest</span> National Forest in Wyoming, US

Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2,500,000 acres (1,000,000 ha) in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest is managed by the United States Forest Service and was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. Shoshone National Forest is one of the first nationally protected land areas anywhere. Native Americans have lived in the region for at least 10,000 years, and when the region was first explored by European adventurers, forestlands were occupied by several different tribes. Never heavily settled or exploited, the forest has retained most of its wildness. Shoshone National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a nearly unbroken expanse of federally protected lands encompassing an estimated 20,000,000 acres (8,100,000 ha).

The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is 915,814 acres (3,706.17 km2) in size. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States, and the largest in Montana. Created in 1936, it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. It was renamed in 1963 after Montana artist Charles M. Russell, a famous painter of the American West. In 1976, the "range" was made a "refuge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow Indian Reservation</span> Indian reservation in United States, Crow

The Crow Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Crow Tribe. Established 1868, the reservation is located in parts of Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Treasure counties in southern Montana in the United States. The Crow Tribe has an enrolled membership of approximately 11,000, of whom 7,900 reside in the reservation. 20% speak Crow as their first language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Canyon Creek</span>

The Battle of Canyon Creek was a military engagement in Montana Territory between the Nez Perce Indians and the United States Army's 7th Cavalry. The battle was part of the larger Indian Wars of the latter 19th century and the immediate Nez Perce War. It took place on September 13, 1877, west of present-day Billings in Yellowstone County, in the canyons and benches around Canyon Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Montana</span>

Montana is one of the eight Mountain States, located in the north of the region known as the Western United States. It borders North Dakota and South Dakota to the east. Wyoming is to the south, Idaho is to the west and southwest, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan are to the north, making it the only state to border three Canadian provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Great Falls</span> Prehistoric lake in what is now central Montana

Lake Great Falls was a prehistoric proglacial lake which existed in what is now central Montana in the United States between 15,000 BCE and 11,000 BCE. Centered on the modern city of Great Falls, Montana, Glacial Lake Great Falls extended as far north as Cut Bank, Montana, and as far south as Holter Lake. At present-day Great Falls, the Glacial Lake Great Falls reached a depth of 600 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little People of the Pryor Mountains</span> Race of ferocious dwarfs in the folklore of the Crow Nation

The Little People of the Pryor Mountains are a race of ferocious dwarfs in the folklore of the Crow Nation, a Native American tribe. The Little People were also seen as imparting spiritual wisdom, and played a major role in shaping the destiny of the Crow People through the dreams of the iconic Crow chief, Plenty Coups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicine Rocks State Park</span> State park in Montana, United States.

Medicine Rocks State Park is a park owned by the state of Montana in the United States. It is located about 25 miles (40 km) west-southwest of Baker, Montana, and 11 miles (18 km) north of Ekalaka, Montana. The park is named for the "Medicine Rocks," a series of sandstone pillars similar to hoodoos some 60 to 80 feet high with eerie undulations, holes, and tunnels in them. The rocks contain numerous examples of Native American rock art and are considered a sacred place by Plains Indians. As a young rancher, future president Theodore Roosevelt said Medicine Rocks was "as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen." The park is 330 acres (130 ha) in size, sits at 3,379 feet (1,030 m) in elevation, and is managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 and designated as a certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional designations of Montana</span> Overview of the Regional designations of Montana

The Regional designations of Montana vary widely within the U.S state of Montana. The state is a large geographical area that is split by the Continental Divide, resulting in watersheds draining into the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Hudson's Bay. The state is approximately 545 miles (877 km) east to west along the Canada–United States border and 320 miles (510 km) north to south. The fourth largest state in land area, it has been divided up in official and unofficial ways into a variety of regions. Additionally, Montana is part of a number of larger federal government administrative regions.

The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is a refuge for a historically significant herd of free-roaming mustangs, the Pryor Mountain mustang, feral horses colloquially called "wild horses", located in the Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming in the United States. The range has an area of 39,650 acres (160.5 km2) and was established in 1968 along the Montana–Wyoming border as the first protected refuge dedicated exclusively for mustangs. It was the second feral horse refuge in the United States. About a quarter of the refuge lies within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. A group of federal agencies, led by the Bureau of Land Management, administers the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pryor Mountain mustang</span> American breed of horse

The Pryor Mountain mustang is a substrain of mustang considered to be genetically unique and one of the few strains of horses verified by DNA analysis to be descended from the original Colonial Spanish horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. They live on the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range located in the Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming in the United States, and are the only mustang herd remaining in Montana, and one of sixteen in Wyoming. They are protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA) and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who has set the optimum herd number at 120 animals. Genetic studies have revealed that the herd exhibits a high degree of genetic diversity and a low degree of inbreeding, and BLM has acknowledged the genetic uniqueness of the herd. Pryor Mountain Mustangs are relatively small horses, exhibit a natural ambling gait, and domesticated Pryor Mountain mustangs are known for their strength, sure-footedness and stamina. The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is one of the most accessible areas to view feral horse herds in the United States and tourism to the area has increased in recent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Rock State Park</span> State park in Montana, US

Tower Rock State Park is a state park near the community of Cascade in the U.S. state of Montana in the United States. The centerpiece of the park is Tower Rock, a 424-foot (129 m)-high rock formation which marks the entrance to the Missouri River Canyon in the Adel Mountains Volcanic Field. It was well known to Native Americans, and considered a sacred place by the Piegan Blackfeet. Tower Rock received its current name when Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited the site in 1805. Railroad and highway development in the late 1800s and 1900s skirted Tower Rock, but the landform itself remained pristine. The 87.2 acres (0.353 km2) encompassing Tower Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2002. The 140-acre (0.57 km2) Tower Rock State Park was created around the National Historic Site in 2004.

Canadian fur trader François-Antoine Larocque’s expedition to Yellowstone River in 1805 is the first well-described journey from Upper Missouri River and westward to the Bighorn Mountains and the middle Yellowstone in present-day Montana.

References

  1. "Pryor Mountains". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. 1 2 "Discovering Lewis and Clark-The Pryors". Washburn, North Dakota: The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  3. Clawson and Shandera, p. 40-41.
  4. Massingham, p. 134.
  5. Saindon, p. 478-481; Frey, p. 68; Montgomery, p. 32.
  6. Cruise and Griffiths, p. 185.
  7. 1 2 3 Geologic Map
  8. 1 2 3 McRae and Jewell, p. 317.
  9. 1 2 Gordon and Krumm, p. 2.
  10. Hodges and Feldman, p. 203.
  11. Voight and Voight, p. 12.
  12. Aarstad, et al., p. 214.
  13. Rowles, p. 101.
  14. Committee on Ungulate Management, p. 173; Clawson and Shandera, p. 39.
  15. 1 2 Pospisil, Allan. "Where the Wild Mustangs Play." New York Times. May 2, 1971.
  16. Massingham, p. 7; Holt, p. 60.
  17. 1 2 French, Brett. "Wild Horse Range Pressured By Overgrazing." Billings Gazette. July 12, 2009. Accessed 2011-06-07.
  18. "Wild Horses." Billings Field Office. Bureau of Land Management. United States Department of the Interior. May 2, 2011. Archived May 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2011-05-18.
  19. Hill, p. 361.
  20. "Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies ~ About | Nature | PBS". 30 June 2008.

Bibliography