Distinctly Montana Magazine

40 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 sider the last great Ice Age, 12,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand, that also shaped the earth of central Montana. The heavy ice forced the channel of what would become the Missou- ri River to change directions. It gave geologists kames, eskers and pothole lakes—stock ponds for cattlemen—and scenes of indescribable landforms laced with prehistory. This is dinosaur country on an epic scale. Alongside Highway 200 is the perfect blend of tourism and agri- culture, Montana's two largest industries. Outside of any wind- shield can be seen cattle of all breeds and colors at just about anywhere along its length. If you are counting noses, that trans- lates to 1.14 million people to 2.12 million cows. Folks along the highway are also seeing increasingly larger elements of "cul- tural tourists" who have targeted Montana for its natural and historic values, and that translates into streams of tourism reve- nue. Then, at the far eastern end of Highway 200, atop the Bak- ken oil field, is the fulfillment of the boom-and-bust cycle seen historically in the state and now played out bigger than ever. Towns at the eastern end of 200 were being morphed into west Texas without the drawl…until recently. Right on time, the Bak- ken boom found its bust, at least for the time being. Once the boom's oil drilling pads were punched in, the Bakken field has settled into an easier rhythm as its drilling rigs slowly pulse up and down sucking ancient crude from thousands of feet down. Still, evidence of the Bakken are everywhere alongside 200, from the feeder roads leading to drill pads to newly paved streets and roads in Sidney and Fairview where, its journey over, the high- way finally pulls into North Dakota. There, at two roundabouts, the route symbolically feeds its traffic into that of another state. Even in tiny Lambert, Montana, there is a petroleum boom-built football field that would rival most AA high schools. It has paved and lighted parking lots, well-watered turf field, night lights and spacious stadium seating—all for six-man football. District Clerk Sammie Nelson, who was born and raised in Lambert, MOTORISTS DRIVING HIGHWAY 200 MIGHT NOT BE AWARE THAT THEY ARE TRAVELING ACROSS AN ANCIENT SEABED WITH ITS MUDDY BOTTOM LAYERS OF SEDIMENT AND MUDSTONE SHELVES LADEN WITH THE SKELETONS OF PRIMORDIAL SEAGOING ANIMALS. MICHAEL J. OBER

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