Two Medicine
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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,...
. It has a campground alongside Two Medicine Lake
Two Medicine Lake
Two Medicine Lake is located in Glacier National Park, in the U. S. state of Montana. Two Medicine Lake is approximately long and wide. Sinopah Mountain dominates the western terminus of the lake, while immediately to the north, Rising Wolf Mountain rises over above the lake. Several hiking...
. From the period starting in the late 1890s until the completion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Going-to-the-Sun Road is the only road through the heart of Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. It was completed in 1932, and it is the only road that crosses the park, going over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. A fleet of 1930s red tour buses "jammers", rebuilt in 2001 to run on propane...
in 1932, Two Medicine was one of the most visited sections of the park. Once part of a larger chalet complex, the Two Medicine Store
Two Medicine Store
Two Medicine Store, formerly part of Two Medicine Chalet, is a historic building in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The chalet was originally built in 1914 by the Glacier Park Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway, as part of the railway's extensive program of...
is located along the shores of Two Medicine Lake and the building is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. The region is a starting point for many trails and tourboats take visitors out on Two Medicine Lake, where the steep south face of Rising Wolf Mountain
Rising Wolf Mountain
Rising Wolf Mountain is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana The peak is in the southeastern section of the park and rises dramatically above the Two Medicine region and more than above Two Medicine Lake immediately to the south...
towers above the lake. The region was considered sacred ground by several Native American tribes including the Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
and they performed 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 here. Aside from Chief Mountain
Chief Mountain
Chief Mountain is located in the U.S. state of Montana on the eastern border of Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation...
, the Two Medicine area is the most sacred section of the park to the Blackfeet.
From the Two Medicine Store, several hiking trails lead west and north from the area. Three lakes dominate the area, including Lower Two Medicine Lake
Lower Two Medicine Lake
Lower Two Medicine Lake is located partly in Glacier National Park as well as on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in the U. S. state of Montana. The lake is natural but has a small dam which regulates the lake level and reduces the potential for downstream flooding....
, which is also on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
Blackfeet Indian Reservation
The Blackfeet Indian Reservation or Blackfeet Nation is an Indian reservation of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana in the United States. It is located east of Glacier National Park and borders Canada to the north. Cut Bank Creek and Birch Creek make up part of its eastern and southern borders...
, Two Medicine Lake, which is the location of the campstore and the scenic boat rides, and Upper Two Medicine Lake
Upper Two Medicine Lake
Upper Two Medicine Lake is located in Glacier National Park, in the U. S. state of Montana. The lake is just east of the Continental Divide in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park. Upper Two Medicine Lake is in a cirque and surrounded by a number of peaks including Lone Walker Mountain,...
which is a 4 miles (6.4 km) hike from the trailhead.
A wealth of fossils are found in the Two Medicine area, Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs and their eggs, for example.