Bear Paw Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Bear Paw Mountains (aka Bear's Paw Mountains) 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 Bearpaw Formation
outcrops in these mountains, and is named for the mountain range.
The Bears Paw Mountains extend in a 45-mile arc between the Missouri River and Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation south of Havre. 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, you can see the paw, and Centennial Mountain to the south resembles a reclining bear. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce surrendered to Col. Nelson Miles in the foothills of the Bears Paw Mountains in October 1877. Locals refer to the range as the Bearpaws.
Island range
An island range is a term used to describe a mountain range that exists in total or almost total isolation from a larger chain of ranges and sub-ranges. From a distance on the plains, these ranges appear as "islands" of higher ground...
in North-Central Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located approximately 10 miles south of Havre, Montana
Havre, Montana
Havre is a city in, and the county seat of, Hill County, Montana, United States. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. The population was 9,621 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Baldy Mountain, which rises 6,916 feet (2,108 meters) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, is the highest peak in the range.
The Bearpaw Formation
Bearpaw Formation
The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a sedimentary rock formation found in northwestern North America. It is exposed in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, east of the Rocky Mountains...
outcrops in these mountains, and is named for the mountain range.
The Bears Paw Mountains extend in a 45-mile arc between the Missouri River and Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation south of Havre. 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, you can see the paw, and Centennial Mountain to the south resembles a reclining bear. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce surrendered to Col. Nelson Miles in the foothills of the Bears Paw Mountains in October 1877. Locals refer to the range as the Bearpaws.