Druid Peak
Encyclopedia
Druid Peak is a moderate domed peak on the southern flank of the Absaroka Range
in Yellowstone National Park
. The peak lies just north of the Lamar River
and Soda Butte Creek
confluence at the head of the Lamar Valley. Prior to 1885, this summit was named Soda Hill by members of the Hayden
Geological Survey of 1878 and Mount Longfellow or Longfellows' Peak by then park superintendent Philetus Norris
in 1880. In 1885, members of the Arnold Hague
Geological Survey changed the name to Druid Peak for unknown reasons, but some historians believe it may have been the presence of Stonehenge
like rock formations on its eastern face that prompted the name.
Druid Peak is notable for its role in the reintroduction
of Wolves into Yellowstone. Rose Creek which flows west from the northern slope of Druid Peak was the site of one of the release pens for the January 1995 release of wolves, the pack to be known as the Rose Creek pack. In January 1996 a second release was made from pens on the slopes of Druid Peak. This pack became known as the Druid Pack.
Absaroka Range
The Absaroka Range is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about 150 mi across the Montana-Wyoming border, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park and the western side of the Bighorn Basin. The range borders the Beartooth Mountains...
in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. The peak lies just north of the Lamar River
Lamar River
The Lamar River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately 40 miles long, in northwestern Wyoming in the United States. The river is located entirely within Yellowstone National Park.-History:...
and Soda Butte Creek
Soda Butte Creek
Soda Butte Creek is an approximately long major tributary of the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. It is named for an unusual geologic feature near its mouth. Soda Butte and the creek were named by A. Bart Henderson, a Cooke City miner, in 1870...
confluence at the head of the Lamar Valley. Prior to 1885, this summit was named Soda Hill by members of the Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Army during the Civil War.-Early life:Ferdinand Hayden was born in Westfield, Massachusetts...
Geological Survey of 1878 and Mount Longfellow or Longfellows' Peak by then park superintendent Philetus Norris
Philetus Norris
Philetus W. Norris was the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park and was the first person to be paid for that position.- Early life :...
in 1880. In 1885, members of the Arnold Hague
Arnold Hague
Arnold Hague was a United States geologist who did many geological surveys in the U.S., of which the best known was that for Yellowstone National Park. He also had assignments in China and Guatemala. He became a member of the U. S...
Geological Survey changed the name to Druid Peak for unknown reasons, but some historians believe it may have been the presence of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
like rock formations on its eastern face that prompted the name.
Druid Peak is notable for its role in the reintroduction
History of wolves in Yellowstone
When Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872, gray wolf populations were already in decline in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The creation of the national park did not provide protection for wolves or other predators, and government predator control programs in the first decades of the 1900s...
of Wolves into Yellowstone. Rose Creek which flows west from the northern slope of Druid Peak was the site of one of the release pens for the January 1995 release of wolves, the pack to be known as the Rose Creek pack. In January 1996 a second release was made from pens on the slopes of Druid Peak. This pack became known as the Druid Pack.