Pryor Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Pryor Mountains are a mountain range
in Carbon County, Montana
and Big Horn County, Montana
. They are located on the Crow Indian Reservation
and the Custer National Forest
, and portions of them are on private land. They lie south of Billings, Montana
, and north of Lovell, Wyoming
.
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. The Crow Nation
, 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).
limestone
(known as the Madison Group limestone) laid down about 300 million years ago. The limestone rests on basement rock
about 1.5 billion years old. In the late Cretaceous
and Early Tertiary
period (about 70 to 60 million years ago), magma
welling up from below cracked this limestone (which is 705 to 740 ft (214.9 to 225.6 m) thick) into four huge blocks and pushed each block's northeastern corner into the air. This upwelling formed the Bighorn Mountains and the Pryor Mountains. The Bighorn River
flows north from Wyoming until it reaches the plateau between the Bighorn and Pryor mountains. The river flows along the fault line
between the two mountain ranges, and has cut the Bighorn Canyon deep into the limestone.
The tallest peak in the Pryor Mountains is East Pryor Mountain (elevation 8822 feet (2,688.9 m)). Caves, carved by wind and water, can be found in the limestone throughout the Pryors.
Among the better known are Big Ice Cave on the eastern edge of Pryor Mountain, and Mystery Cave (which contains some of the best limestone decorations of all the caves in the Pryors). Among the more notable are False Cougar Cave on East Pryor Mountain (which was used by Native Americans at points in the past), Shield Trap Cave (which features a vertical shaft about 33 feet (10.1 m) deep), Little Ice Cave, and Bell Trap Cave (which is similar to Shield Trap). Other popular features of the Pryors include Froggs Fault, a huge fissure in the earth, and a buffalo jump
near Dry Head Lookout. 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 quest
s, and as of 1971 was perhaps the last undisturbed such place in the United States.
Crooked Creek, one of the few perennial streams in the area, divides the Pryors in two and is one of the few places were Yellowstone cutthroat trout may be found. The Pryors is the most diverse bat
habitat in Montana as well, with 10 species found there.
folklore, Little People
(a race of 18 inches (45.7 cm) high dwarf-like people with spiritual powers) lived in these mountains.
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 horse
s. 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.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in Carbon County, Montana
Carbon County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area * Custer National Forest * Gallatin National Forest -Economy:During the early history of Carbon County, coal mining was the predominant industry...
and Big Horn County, Montana
Big Horn County, Montana
- National protected areas :* Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area * Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument- Economy :Coal Mining and Agriculture both play major roles in Big Horn County’s economy...
. They are located on the Crow Indian Reservation
Crow Indian Reservation
The Crow Indian Reservation is the homeland of the Crow Tribe of Indians of the State of Montana in the United States. The reservation is located in parts of Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Treasure counties in southern Montana...
and the Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest
Custer National Forest is located primarily in the southern part of the U.S. state of Montana but also has separate sections in northwestern South Dakota. With a total area of 1,278,279 acres , the forest comprises over 10 separate sections...
, and portions of them are on private land. They lie south of Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, and north of Lovell, Wyoming
Lovell, Wyoming
Lovell is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovell is located at ....
.
The mountains are named for Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Nathaniel Hale Pryor
Nathaniel Hale Pryor
Nathaniel Hale Pryor served as Sergeant in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was born in Virginia and was a cousin of fellow expedition member Charles Floyd. His family moved to Kentucky when he was eleven...
, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
who vainly pursued horses stolen from the expedition in the area. The Crow Nation
Crow Nation
The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...
, a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe which lived nearby, called the mountains Baahpuuo Isawaxaawuua ("Hitting Rock Mountains") because of the abundance of flint there (which was chipped into arrowheads).
About the Pryor Mountains
The Pryor Mountains are a 145000 square miles (375,548.3 km²) region of Montana and Wyoming. The Pryor Mountains consists of PaleozoicPaleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
(known as the Madison Group limestone) laid down about 300 million years ago. The limestone rests on basement rock
Basement (geology)
In geology, the terms basement and crystalline basement are used to define the rocks below a sedimentary platform or cover, or more generally any rock below sedimentary rocks or sedimentary basins that are metamorphic or igneous in origin...
about 1.5 billion years old. In the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
and Early Tertiary
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
period (about 70 to 60 million years ago), magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
welling up from below cracked this limestone (which is 705 to 740 ft (214.9 to 225.6 m) thick) into four huge blocks and pushed each block's northeastern corner into the air. This upwelling formed the Bighorn Mountains and the Pryor Mountains. The Bighorn River
Bighorn River
The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the western United States in the states of Wyoming and Montana. 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 River.The upper...
flows north from Wyoming until it reaches the plateau between the Bighorn and Pryor mountains. The river flows along the fault line
Fault line
In geology, fault line refers to the surface trace of a fault.Fault line, Fault Line, or faultline may also refer to:* "Faultline", a song from the 2008 studio album Versus by The Haunted...
between the two mountain ranges, and has cut the Bighorn Canyon deep into the limestone.
The tallest peak in the Pryor Mountains is East Pryor Mountain (elevation 8822 feet (2,688.9 m)). Caves, carved by wind and water, can be found in the limestone throughout the Pryors.
Among the better known are Big Ice Cave on the eastern edge of Pryor Mountain, and Mystery Cave (which contains some of the best limestone decorations of all the caves in the Pryors). Among the more notable are False Cougar Cave on East Pryor Mountain (which was used by Native Americans at points in the past), Shield Trap Cave (which features a vertical shaft about 33 feet (10.1 m) deep), Little Ice Cave, and Bell Trap Cave (which is similar to Shield Trap). Other popular features of the Pryors include Froggs Fault, a huge fissure in the earth, and a buffalo jump
Buffalo jump
A buffalo jump is a cliff formation which North American Indians historically used in mass killings of plains bison. Hunters herded the bison and drove them over the cliff, breaking their legs and rendering them immobile. Tribe members waiting below closed in with spears and bows to finish the kills...
near Dry Head Lookout. 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 quest
Vision quest
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures.In many Native American groups, the vision quest is a turning point in life taken before puberty to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. When an older child is ready, he or she will go on a personal,...
s, and as of 1971 was perhaps the last undisturbed such place in the United States.
Crooked Creek, one of the few perennial streams in the area, divides the Pryors in two and is one of the few places were Yellowstone cutthroat trout may be found. The Pryors is the most diverse bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
habitat in Montana as well, with 10 species found there.
Myths and protected areas
According to Crow NationCrow Nation
The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a Siouan people of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone River valley, which extends from present-day Wyoming, through Montana and into North Dakota. They now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana and in several...
folklore, Little People
Little People of the Pryor Mountains
The Little People of the Pryor Mountains are a race of ferocious dwarves in the folklore of the Crow Nation, a Native American tribe...
(a race of 18 inches (45.7 cm) high dwarf-like people with spiritual powers) lived in these mountains.
The Pryor Mountains are also home to the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range
Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range
The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is a refuge for a historically signifcant herd of free-roaming Mustangs, 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 and was established in 1968 along the...
, a protected area that is home to a herd of free-roaming feral horse
Feral horse
A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated ancestry. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses...
s. 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.