33
w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
from various periods in the
confluence's history, and en-
compasses notable historic
events that date back, oh, 150
million years or so.
Ferdinand Hayden, the pio-
neering geologist noted for
his role in the first scientific
exploration of the upper Yel-
lowstone, dug up what are
widely considered the first
dinosaur fossils uncovered
in North America, right here
at Judith Landing in 1854.
The hadrosaurid teeth he found are believed to be from the late
Jurassic period, and many more fossils of these duck-billed dino-
saurs have been since found across central and eastern Montana.
For thousands of years, the confluence was favored as a hunt-
ing camp for indigenous peoples following the movement of
game and seasonal availabil-
ity of plants as they traveled
through the cycle of their
year. The abundant fish, an-
telope, buffalo, birds and oth-
er wildlife of this lush ecosys-
tem provided resources that
were otherwise pretty scarce
in the parched badlands ter-
rain. By the 1700s this was all
Blackfeet territory, and that
tribe fought to protect their
land from the increasing
number of fur traders who
had begun drifting down from Canada.
Judith Landing's location on the Missouri River pretty much
guaranteed a visit from Lewis and Clark. The explorers added
another layer of historic significance to Judith Landing when
they camped nearby in 1805, and William Clark was so taken
Monta' s Newest Ste Park
Htory
