| Judith River | |
|---|---|
 Judith River near Hanover Road | |
 The Judith River | |
| Location | |
| Country | Fergus andJudith Basin County, Montana |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 46°50′32.7″N110°30′23.3″W / 46.842417°N 110.506472°W /46.842417; -110.506472 (Judith River)[1] |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 47°44′06″N109°38′46″W / 47.73500°N 109.64611°W /47.73500; -109.64611 (Judith River)[1] |
• elevation | 2,408 feet (734 m)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near mouth, (nearWinifred) |
| • average | 292 cu ft/s (8.3 m3/s)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Missouri River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Big Spring Creek |
TheJudith River is atributary of theMissouri River, approximately 124 mi (200 km) long, running through centralMontana in theUnited States. It rises in theLittle Belt Mountains and flows northeast pastUtica andHobson. It is joined byDry Wolf Creek in northernFergus County, and itself joins the Missouri in theWhite Cliffs Area approximately 18 mi (29 km) northwest ofWinifred.
The river gives its name to theJudith River Group of the lateCretaceous, a notable area for excavation ofdinosaur fossils that stretches from Montana into southeasternAlberta and southwesternSaskatchewan. The river was named byWilliam Clark. William Clark came across a stream which he considered particularly clear and pretty, and named it the Judith River, in honor of his cousin Julia Hancock.It is also known for its large amount ofCretaceous dinosaur fossils, including those ofTyrannosaurus,Styracosaurus andEdmontosaurus.
The Judith is a Class I river from the confluence with Big Spring Creek to its confluence with the Missouri River for public access for recreational purposes.[3]
The Crow tribe called this waterwayBuluhpa’ashe (“Plum River”). Capt.Meriwether Lewis named this central Montana river the Bighorn. On May 20, 1805, Capt. William Clark renamed it in honor of his future wife, Julia (Judith) Hancock. Beginning in the 1880s, the area surrounding the Judith River at Judith Landing was home to two large ranching operations: the DHS Ranch of A.J. and Erwin Davis,Samuel T. Hauser, and Granville Stuart; and the PN Ranch of Thomas C. Power and G.R. Norris.[4]
White Eagle, "the last major Chief of theGros Ventre people", died "at the mouth of the Judith River" on February 9, 1881.[5]
| International | |
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| National | |
