Medicine Rocks State Park
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Medicine Rocks State Park
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| location | Carter County in Montana (USA) | |
| surface | 130 ha | |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 3 ′ N , 104 ° 28 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1957 | |
| administration | Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks | |
The Medicine Rocks State Park is 25 km north of Ekalaka in Carter County of the US state of Montana . The 130 hectare state park is 1049 m above sea level. It is named after several sandstone rocks up to 15 m high, which make the area a sacred place for some tribes.
The sandstones are former river deposits and can be dated from finds to an age of 61 million years. The uppermost gray layers are partially riddled with tunnels of worms that were only found in salt water. Different degrees of erosion of the boulders result in a striking to bizarre appearance. Some are full of holes like a natural sponge , with small caves or barn-sized overhangs.
The tribes of the Arikara , Assiniboine , Mandan , Gros Ventre , Sioux and Cheyenne are among the traditional users of the site, whereby the rock formations served as a vantage point, as a repository, living and storage place as well as for various rituals and ceremonies. Finds of bones, stone tools and baked clay dishes are housed in the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka .
The young Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first tourists in 1883 . A few more left inscriptions and scratches in the soft sandstone. The area was privately owned until it fell to the county due to tax debts in 1930. In 1957 the Carter County Commission transferred the property to the state of Montana and in 1965 the state park was established.
Mule deer , pronghorn , turkey vulture , golden eagle , turkey , tailed grouse = Tympanuchus phasianellus , woodhouse toad and various small rodents can be seen in Medicine Rocks State Park .
References
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
