Bears Paw Mountains
| Bears Paw Mountains | |
|---|---|
| File:Bearpaws.jp.jpg
Bears Paw Mountains as seen from near Virgelle, Montana
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Baldy Mountain |
| Elevation | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Geography | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| Range coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Late Cretaceous |
The Bears Paw Mountains (Bear Paw Mountains, Bear's Paw Mountains or Bearpaw Mountains)[1] are an insular-montane island range in North-Central Montana, USA, located approximately 10 miles south of Havre, Montana. Baldy Mountain, which rises 6,916 feet (2,108 meters) above sea level, is the highest peak in the range. The Bears Paw Mountains extend in a 45-mile arc between the Missouri River and Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation south of Havre.
Geology
The Cretaceous Bearpaw Formation outcrops in these mountains, and is named for the range.
Native American legend
Native oral history ties the name to a lone hunter in search of deer to feed his clan. He killed a deer but, while returning to the prairie, encountered a bear. The bear held the hunter to the ground, and the hunter appealed to the Great Spirit to release him. The Great Spirit filled the heavens with lightning and thunder, striking the bear dead and severing its paw to release the hunter. Looking at Box Elder Butte, one can see the paw, and Centennial Mountain to the south resembles a reclining bear.[2]
Locals refer to the range as the Bearpaws [3] (Assiniboine: Waną́be;[4] Apsáalooke: Daxpitcheeischikáate, "Bear's little hand"[5]).
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce surrendered to Col. Nelson Miles in the foothills of the Bear's Paw Mountains in October 1877 after the Battle of Bear Paw.
See also
References
- ↑ U.S. Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
- ↑ An Island on the Plains: the Bears Paw Mountains Montana Department of Transportation
- ↑ Montana Place Names Companion Website Aarstad, Rich, Ellie Arguimbau, Ellen Baumler, Charlene Porsild, and Brian Shovers. Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Montana Historical Society Press
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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