Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 41 SHOOT THE ROCK MOUNTAINS With the Clarks Fork of the Yellow- stone to the west, and the Bighorn River to the east, the mountains are situated in the perfect spot for anyone living in the area, or merely passing through. For millennia peoples be- longing to as many as thirty different native tribes have called the area "home" at some point in their history. Throughout the mountains, from the northern temperate forests along Sage Creek, to the flat upper reaches of Big Pryor Mountain, down into the dusty and dry canyons on the south, evidence of use abounds. Pictographs and petroglyphs adorn the rocks, while stone flakes and the occasional arrowhead will surface. Aaron Big Man Brien, a Crow Tribal member and instructor of Tribal Historic Preservation at Salish Kootenai College, tells us that while it's debated, there is even a projectile point that many believe to be unique to just these mountains. Dotted throughout the mountain are fasting beds surrounded by small stone walls built over the years by the natives who left the rest of the tribe in order to fulfill their vow to the Creator. These individuals would promise four days of fasting if their request was granted; requests that ranged anywhere from suc- cess in wartime, to bountiful hunts, to a loved one overcoming illness. When the Creator showed his benevolence, the individ- ual would spend their four days alone in supplication, without food or water, as a way of giving thanks for the answered prayer. The Apsáalooke, or Crow, nation holds the mountains as sacred and in high re- gard, in part because of the mysterious race of "Little People" that live in the area. As legend goes, a young Crow boy was saved by a group of people that were short, no taller than eighteen inches, with no neck and incredible strength. The Little People, as they came to be called, were benevolent and sought to help, but were wary of oth- ers. Their only request for their good deeds was that those traveling through the mountains respect the land and take care of others. In return, it became tradition to shoot an arrow at Pryor Rock; the tradition that led to the Crow name for the mountain range: Shoot the Rock Mountains. MODERN MINERS AND MOUNTAIN MEN As modern settlers came into the area, these mountains were re- garded for their natural resources, and as an escape from the towns around them. Small cabins popped up as miners and mountain men stole away to live a life away from people. Many were just trying to make a living; others, like Frank Sykes (after whom the geologic feature Sykes Ridge is named), have a bit more legendary status surrounding them. As the mountains of western Montana are majestic, SO THESE SMALLER COUSINS ARE MYSTERIOUS. Crooked Creek

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