The Killdeer Mountains are a mountain range in

Dunn County, North Dakota Dunn County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,095. Its county seat is Manning. History On March 9, 1883, the Dakota Territory legislature authorized the creation of a new county, us ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It consists of two mesas, North Mountain and South Mountain. Much of the range formation was caused by wind, river and lake erosion. The Killdeer Mountains cover a surface of 26 square kilometers (10 sq mi). The highest peak reaches , which is the highest point in the county. The range's name comes from the Native Americans, who used the area as a hunting ground for

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. The range was the scene of the Battle of Killdeer Mountain in 1864. Upland deciduous forest with

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

, ash and poplar covers much of the Killdeer Mountains. In 1906, reports of

volcanic activity Volcanism, vulcanism, volcanicity, or volcanic activity is the phenomenon where solids, liquids, gases, and their mixtures erupt to the surface of a solid-surface astronomical body such as a planet or a moon. It is caused by the presence of a he ...

were coming from the mountains. However, no geological evidence has proven a confirmed volcano in the area.

References

Landforms of Dunn County, North Dakota Mountains of North Dakota Hypothetical volcanoes {{NorthDakota-geo-stub