| Bears Paw Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Bears Paw Mountains as seen from near Virgelle, Montana | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Baldy Mountain |
| Elevation | 6,916 ft (2,108 m)[1] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| Range coordinates | 48°12.5′N109°31.05′W / 48.2083°N 109.51750°W /48.2083; -109.51750 |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Late Cretaceous |
TheBears Paw Mountains (Bear Paw Mountains,Bear's Paw Mountains orBearpaw Mountains)[2] are an insular-montaneisland range in theCentral Montana Alkalic Province in north-centralMontana,United States, located approximately 10 miles south ofHavre, Montana. Baldy Mountain, which rises 6,916 feet (2,108 m) abovesea level, is the highest peak in the range. The Bears Paw Mountains extend in a 45-mile arc between theMissouri River andRocky Boy Indian Reservation south of Havre.
Locals refer to the range as the Bearpaws.[3] Indigenous names includeAssiniboine:Waną́be,lit. 'bear paws',[4]Crow:Daxpitcheeischikáate,lit. 'bear's little hand',[5] andGros Ventre:ʔɔɔwɔ́hʔoouh,lit. 'there are many buttes'.[6]
While highway signs designate the range as the Bears Paw Mountains, historically, the names Bearpaw Mountains and Bear Paw Mountains also have been used, including on early state maps of the region. The U.S. Geological Survey continues to use Bearpaw Mountains on publications.
The core of the Bearpaws are composed of extensiveEocene aged igneous intrusions left over from one of the largest eruptive centers in the Central Montana Alkaline Province. Shonkinite, latite, & tinguatite are among the most common igneous rock compositions found in the Bearpaws.
TheCretaceousBearpaw Formation outcrops in these mountains, and is named for the range.
Chief Joseph of theNez Perce surrendered to Col.Nelson Miles in the foothills of the Bear's Paw Mountains in October 1877 after theBattle of Bear Paw.[7]
Native oral history ties the name to a lone hunter in search of deer to feed his clan. He killed a deer but, while returning to the prairie, encountered a bear. The bear held the hunter to the ground, and the hunter appealed to the Great Spirit to release him. The Great Spirit filled the heavens with lightning and thunder, striking the bear dead and severing its paw to release the hunter. Looking at Box Elder Butte, one can see the paw, and Centennial Mountain to the south resembles a reclining bear.[8]
Media related toBears Paw mountains at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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