D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1
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M
ONTANA IS KNOWN FOR HER
MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS IN THE
WEST, AND THE DUSTY PRAIRIES
IN THE EAST. As the beautiful craggy cliffs
give way, however, the mountains taper
down until they are little more than un-
dulating hills with the occasional rocky out-
cropping. Here, where the west meets the
east, the majesty of the immense mountains
is punctuated with a small range called the Pryor Mountains.
As the mountains of western Montana are majestic, so these
smaller cousins are mysterious. Tales of little people, hidden
treasure, and caverns that seem to have no end all burst forth in
the land where wild horses roam freely.
THE EARLY BEGINNINGS
Millions of years ago, as the Western
Inland Sea drained from the area, it caused
great upheavals on the earth. Mountains,
like the nearby Beartooths, pushed sky-
ward, while others, like the Pryor Moun-
tains, remained lower and less imposing.
But that small stature is not for lack of
personality. Near-desert conditions lie
within just a few miles of temperate forests, all of which are
perched atop a mountain largely made of limestone. When you
get into the appropriate layer, fossils abound, giving evidence to
what was once a thriving seabed.
Prehistoric and geologic fascinations aside, it's the cultural
significance of these mountains that have turned them into a
place of mystery.
article and photos by SCOTT SERY
PRYOR
MOUNTAINS
The Legends, the Lore,
and
the Wild Horses
of the Pryor Mountains
Petroglyphs in the Pryor Mountains
