Big Muddy Badlands
Encyclopedia
The Big Muddy Badlands are a series of badlands
in southern Saskatchewan
and northern Montana
along Big Muddy Creek. They are found in the Big Muddy Valley, a cleft of erosion and sandstone along Big Muddy Creek. The valley is 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) long, 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) wide and 160 metres (524.9 ft) deep. The valley was formed when it was part of an ancient glacial meltwater channel that carried great quantities of water southeastward during the last ice age
.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the Badlands formed the northern end of the "Outlaw Trail", a series of trails and stopping areas utilized by outlaws in the American West spanning from Canada
to Mexico
. Outlaws such as Dutch Henry and his brother Coyote Pete, Sam Kelly, the Pigeon Toed Kid, and the notorious Sundance Kid turned up in the area. Today ranching and tourism are important in the sparsely populated area.
19 kilometres (11.8 mi) south of Bengough
on Highway 34
is Castle Butte, a 70 metres (229.7 ft) high outcrop of sandstone and compressed clay which protrudes from the flat prairie.
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
in southern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and northern 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,...
along Big Muddy Creek. They are found in the Big Muddy Valley, a cleft of erosion and sandstone along Big Muddy Creek. The valley is 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) long, 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) wide and 160 metres (524.9 ft) deep. The valley was formed when it was part of an ancient glacial meltwater channel that carried great quantities of water southeastward during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the Badlands formed the northern end of the "Outlaw Trail", a series of trails and stopping areas utilized by outlaws in the American West spanning from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Outlaws such as Dutch Henry and his brother Coyote Pete, Sam Kelly, the Pigeon Toed Kid, and the notorious Sundance Kid turned up in the area. Today ranching and tourism are important in the sparsely populated area.
19 kilometres (11.8 mi) south of Bengough
Bengough, Saskatchewan
-Area statistics:*Lat 49°24′00″ N*Long 105°08′00″ W*Dominion Land Survey Sec.23, Twp.5, R.24, W2*Time zone UTC−6-Location:-External links:**...
on Highway 34
Saskatchewan Highway 34
Highway 34 designates major roads intended for travel by the public between Highway 13 just to the west of Ogema to the US border. At the Port of Big Beaver the road changes name and becomes Montana Secondary Highway 511...
is Castle Butte, a 70 metres (229.7 ft) high outcrop of sandstone and compressed clay which protrudes from the flat prairie.