DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE
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WINTER 2022-23
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(1,657) lies 14 miles south of Hardin on I-90. Fort Smith (170) is
the jumping-off point for Yellowtail Dam and the Big Horn Na-
tional Recreation Area). Muddy, or Heóvonėheo'hé'e, (646) is on
Muddy Creek along the eastern edge of the county. Pryor (637)
is near the western edge of the county. It is home to Chief Plenty
Coups State Park. St. Xavier (78) and Wyola (190) round out the
list of Big Horn County communities.
No story of Big Horn County would be complete without men-
tioning two events that happened there. In June, 1876, General
George Armstrong Custer led the 7th Cavalry up the Little Big
Horn River and engaged a group of Lakota and Cheyenne war-
riors in what became known as Custer's Last Stand. The battle
took place near the present-day community of Crow Agency, and
the National Park Service's Little Bighorn Battlefield National
Monument offers walking and driving tours, as well as a visitor's
center, a museum and a gift shop. Private groups perform re-en-
actments not affiliated with the National Park Service.
Almost 90 years later, Yellowtail Dam opened on the Big Horn
River, creating Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area. The
dam, named for Crow Chair Robert Yellowtail, stands 525 feet
high, and extends 1,480 feet in width. The reservoir created by
the dam extends over 70 miles south and crosses into Wyoming.
The lake offers excellent fishing, boating, hiking, camping, and
spectacular scenery. Note that the Fort Smith, Montana-based
visitor center is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and
is closed during the fall, winter, and spring months.
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Anaconda, MT 59711
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