Medicine Rocks State Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

owned by the state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is located about west-southwest of

Baker, Montana Baker is a city in and the county seat of Fallon County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,802 at the 2020 census. It was named after A. G. Baker, an engineer with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. History Ba ...

, and north of

Ekalaka, Montana Ekalaka is a town in and the county seat of Carter County, Montana, United States. The population was 399 at the 2020 census. History Ekalaka was named after a Sioux girl, Ijkalaka, who was the wife of David Harrison Russell, a scout. Ijka ...

. The park is named for the "Medicine Rocks," a series of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...

pillars similar to hoodoos some high with eerie undulations, holes, and tunnels in them.McRae and Jewell, ''Montana,'' 2009, p. 303.Hawthorn, ''Rocky Mountain States,'' 2001, p. 615. The rocks contain numerous examples of Native American

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...

and are considered a sacred place by Plains Indians.Haney, ''Badlands of the High Plains,'' 2001, p. 37. As a young rancher, future

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

said Medicine Rocks was "as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen." The park is in size, sits at in elevation, and is managed by the

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) is a government agency in the executive branch state of Montana in the United States with responsibility for protecting sustainable fish, wildlife, and state-owned park resources in Montan ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2017 and designated as a certified International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2020.

Geology

Medicine Rocks is part of the

Fort Union Formation The Fort Union Formation is a geologic unit containing sandstones, shales, and coal beds in Wyoming, Montana, and parts of adjacent states. In the Powder River Basin, it contains important economic deposits of coal, uranium, and coalbed methane. ...

, a

geologic unit A stratigraphic unit is a volume of rock of identifiable origin and relative age range that is defined by the distinctive and dominant, easily mapped and recognizable petrographic, lithologic or paleontologic features (facies) that characterize ...

containing coal, sandstone, and shale in Montana,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

, and other adjacent states.Schalla and Johnson, ''Montana/Alberta Thrust Belt and Adjacent Foreland,'' 2000, p. 104. About 61 million years ago, near the start of the

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pala ...

Epoch and during the late Zuñi sequence, a freshwater river crossed what is now eastern Montana, flowing southeast into a prehistoric sea whose boundary was near far northwestern

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

(possibly the remains of the

Western Interior Seaway The Western Interior Seaway (also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, the North American Inland Sea, and the Western Interior Sea) was a large inland sea that split the continent of North America into two landmasses. The ancient sea ...

).Fletcher, Bradshaw, Axline, and Shope, ''Montana's Historical Highway Markers,'' 2008, p. 195. This river deposited large amounts of very fine-grained sand, which compacted into sandstone.French, "Rock of Ages," ''Montana Outdoors,'' July/August 2005.Johnson and Troll, ''Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip,'' 2007, p. 81. On top of the freshwater sandstone was sand laid down by a saltwater estuary (indicated by the presence in this greyish layer of sandstone of burrows created by marine worms). Numerous fossils dating back 63.3 million years (to the Torrejonian North American Stage) can be found at the site, which help date the sandstone. These include several fossil snakes as well as teeth belonging to '' Plesiadapis anceps'' (an early

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...

-like

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

). The fossil remains of the primitive mammal

Baiotomeus ''Baiotomeus'' is a genus of mammals from the extinct order of Multituberculata. It is known from the Paleocene of North America. The genus ''Baiotomeus'' was formally named by Krause in 1987 ( Krause, 1987), and has also been known as '' Mi ...

were discovered here in 1935. Wind, dirt, sand, and rain carved the sandstone over the millennia, so that now the structures exhibit numerous arches, caves, columns, holes, pillars, and flat-topped towers.''Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting,'' 2003, p. 199. Some of the sandstone structures are in height, and can be across. There are more than 100 of the rocks and spires in the state park today. Some of them are clustered together as if part of a chain or train, while others jut up from the prairie in isolation. According to Ed Belt, retired professor of geology at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educati ...

, the Medicine Rocks sandstone is almost unique. "You have to go a long way to find a sand deposit of a similar age. And even then, you won't find thick sand and such a large concentration like you have at Medicine Rocks." It is also possible that the state park lies atop an unexposed fault.

Habitation and significance of the site

Archaeological evidence indicates that there has been human habitation at or near Medicine Rocks for about 11,000 years. Aside from the other-worldly nature of the rock formations, Native Americans were attracted to the site because of the many medicinal plants which grew there and the fossil seashells which could be gathered for decorations. Many

Plains Indian Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of ...

tribes resided here permanently or temporarily, including the A'aninin,

Arikara Arikara (), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011)

, Assiniboine Sioux,

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...

, and

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

.McCoy, ''Montana: Off the Beaten Path,'' 2007, p. 127. The Cheyenne stopped at Medicine Rocks on their way from the Yellowstone River Valley to the Black Hills each summer and early fall. Sometime prior to the mid-17th century, the

Hidatsa The Hidatsa are a Siouan people. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Their language is related to that of the Crow, and they are sometimes considered a paren ...

leader No-Vitals led a large number of Hidatsa out of what is now western

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

west into the

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 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 a ...

valley of south-central

, where the new tribe (the Crow) lived on the plains, by the river, and in the nearby Big Horn, Pryor, and

Wolf Mountains The Wolf Mountains, el. , sometimes referred to by local people as the Rosebud Mountains, and also known to the Crow Indians as the Wolf Teeth Mountains, are a mountain range east of Lodge Grass, Montana in Big Horn County, Montana. Geography ...

.Sullivan, ''Native Religions and Cultures of North America: Anthropology of the Sacred,'' 2000, p. 53. On the move due to pressure from eastern and midwestern tribes moving west due to white encroachment, the Crow may have settled in the Yellowstone Valley only a few decades before the arrival of

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

in 1804.Montgomery, ''Many Rivers to Cross: Of Good Running Water, Native Trout, and the Remains Of Wilderness,'' 1996, p. 32.
/ref> The Crow called the Medicine Rocks area ''Inyan-oka-lo-ka'', or "rock with a hole in it."Snyder, ''Scenic Driving Montana,'' 2005, p. 112. Bone and stone tools, fire rings (circles of stones used to contain a bonfire), pottery,

teepee A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan, and in use in Dakhótiyapi, Lakȟó ...

rings (circles of stones used to hold down the edges of a teepee), and other artifacts have all been found at Medicine Rocks. All the tribes which stayed at Medicine Rocks considered the place holy. Each year, the Crow made an offering to the " Little People" (a race of tiny, ferocious, spiritually powerful dwarves) at Medicine Rocks, where they believed some Little People lived.Hauck, ''Haunted Places: The National Directory,'' 2002, p. 259.Clawson and Shandera, ''Billings: The City and the People,'' 1993, p. 40. Such gifts might include beads, paint, or tobacco.Small, ''Religion in Montana: Pathways to the Present,'' 1992, p. 11. The Crow also made "fasting beds" out of rocks, on which they would lay down while seeking visions and dreams. White settlers first moved into the area near Medicine Rocks in the 1880s. In 1888, the Standard Cattle Company established the "101 Ranch" in the area, which moved more than 30,000 head of cattle every year from Wyoming to Fallon County (Carter County then being part of Fallon County) and then to Wibaux (a cattle shipping hub for the

Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whi ...

). Hundreds of cowboys worked the ranch, and many stayed—helping to "settle" the country for whites. Many of the cowpunchers carved their names or graffiti into the sandstone of Medicine Rocks. In the 1910s and 1920s, Medicine Rocks was a favorite picnic spot for local people, who often drove to the site every Sunday for feasting, entertainment, and conversation.

State park

Medicine Rocks was privately owned and part of a working ranch from the 1880s. Carter County (carved out of Fallon County in 1917) seized the property in the 1930s to satisfy unpaid taxes. Carter County transferred ownership of the site to the state of Montana in February 1957. In 1990, the state parks department attempted to close Medicine Rocks State Park at night, but after 240 angry citizens showed up at a hearing in Baker the state relented. In 1991, the state attempted to charge a $3 entrance fee to access the park, but never enforced it after angry residents protested. The state eliminated the fee in 1993, but also declared Medicine Rocks a "primitive" park which the state would not improve or provide maintenance (such as trash removal). Although most of the "medicine rocks" themselves are contained within the park, some are not. Some of the better-preserved and less vandalized medicine rocks are located on the privately owned Medicine Rocks Ranch, an Angus cattle ranch adjacent to the state park.Husar, "Alone Amidst Medicine Rocks, the Spirits Will Touch You," ''Chicago Tribune,'' November 18, 1990.

Access, services, and wildlife

Admittance is free. The park is open all year round via a dirt roadGraham, ''Camping Montana,'' 2003, p. 183. (although the road may become impassable after heavy rains). Twelve primitive campsites are available at Medicine Rocks, as well as tables, fire rings, vault toilets, and cold spring water from a hand pump. Guests are asked to pack their own trash out. A primitive trail with signage also exists, as does a steep trail down to the nearby

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, mi ...

. Guests to the park may see

bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

ferruginous hawk The ferruginous hawk, (''Buteo regalis''), is a large bird of prey and belongs to the broad-winged buteo hawks. An old colloquial name is ferrugineous rough-leg, due to its similarity to the closely related rough-legged hawk (''B. lagopus''). ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird ...

kestrel The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviou ...

meadowlark Meadowlarks are New World grassland birds belonging to genera '' Sturnella'' and '' Leistes''. This group includes seven species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensivel ...

s, merlins,

Merriam's wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally de ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

es,

nuthatch The nuthatches () constitute a genus, ''Sitta'', of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. M ...

es,

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&n ...

sharp-tailed grouse The sharp-tailed grouse (''Tympanuchus phasianellus''), also known as the sharptail or fire grouse, is a medium-sized prairie grouse. One of three species in the genus '' Tympanuchus'', the sharp-tailed grouse is found throughout Alaska, much of ...

, and

turkey vulture The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus '' Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of So ...

Footnotes

Bibliography

*Clawson, Roger and Shandera, Katherine A. ''Billings: The City and the People.'' Billings, Mont.: Montana Magazine, 1993. *Crow Dog, Leonard and Erdoes, Richard. ''Crow Dog: Four Generations of Sioux Medicine Men.'' New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. *Federal Writers' Project. ''Montana: A State Guide Book.'' New York: Hastings House, 1949. *Fletcher, Robert H.; Bradshaw, Glenda Clay; Axline, Jon; and Shope, Irvin. ''Montana's Historical Highway Markers.'' Helena, Mont.: Montana Historical Society Press, 2008. *French, Brett. "Rock of Ages." ''Montana Outdoors.'' July/August 2005. Reprinted i
Indian Education for All, Montana State Parks Lesson Plan, Medicine Rocks State Park
Montana Office for Public Instruction, January 2010. *Graham, Kenneth Lee. ''Camping Montana.'' Guilford, Conn.: Falcon, 2003. *Haney, Chuck. ''Badlands of the High Plains.'' Helena, Mont.: Farcountry Press, 2001. *Husar, John. "Alone Amidst Medicine Rocks, the Spirits Will Touch You." ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

.'' November 18, 1990. *Hauck, Dennis William. ''Haunted Places: The National Directory.'' New York: Penguin Books, 2002. *Hawthorn, Vic. ''Rocky Mountain States.'' London: Lonely Planet, 2001. *Holman, J. Alan. ''Fossil Snakes of North America: Origin, Evolution, Distribution, Paleoecology.'' Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2000. *Johnson, Kirk R. and Troll, Ray. ''Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip.'' Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Publishing, 2007. *Keyser, James D. and Klassen, Michael A. ''Plains Indian Rock Art.'' Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001. *Krause, David W. "Baiotomeus, a New Ptilodontid Multituberculate (Mammalia) from the Middle Paleocene of Western North America." ''Journal of Paleontology.'' 61:3 (May 1987). *McCoy, Michael. ''Montana: Off the Beaten Path.'' Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press, 2007. *McKee, Jennifer. "State Parks Director to Retire." ''Billings Gazette.'' December 5, 2005. *McRae, W.C. and Jewell, Judy. ''Montana.'' Berkeley, Calif.: Avalon Travel Publishers, 2009.
Montgomery, M.R. ''Many Rivers to Cross: Of Good Running Water, Native Trout, and the Remains Of Wilderness.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
*"News From the States." ''Planning and Civic Comment.'' March 1957. *''Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting.'' Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association, 2003. *Schalla, Robert A. and Johnson, Eric H. ''Montana/Alberta Thrust Belt and Adjacent Foreland.'' Billings, Mont.: Montana Geological Society, 2000. *Small, Lawrence F. ''Religion in Montana: Pathways to the Present.'' Billings, Mont.: Rocky Mountain College, 1992. *Snyder, S.A. ''Scenic Driving Montana.'' Helena, Mont.: Falcon Publishing, 2005. *Sullivan, Lawrence Eugene. ''Native Religions and Cultures of North America: Anthropology of the Sacred.'' New York: Continuum, 2000. *Woodburne, Michael O. ''Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Mammals of North America: Biostratigraphy and Geochronology.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.

External links

Medicine Rocks State Park
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Medicine Rocks State Park Map
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks {{authority control Geology of Montana State parks of Montana Protected areas established in 1957 Protected areas of Carter County, Montana 1957 establishments in Montana National Register of Historic Places in Carter County, Montana Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Petroglyphs in Montana