W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M
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Mustangs of the Pryor Mountain Range
covered by ocean. Fossils and deposits in sedimentary rock indicate
that the sea level repeatedly rose and fell until about 70 million
years ago, when tectonic plates began to shift. e Pryor area rose
from the ancient seas, with the northeast portion lifting higher
than the southwest. is uneven uplift formed the Big Pryor and
East Pryor mountains.
Time saw the erosion of land, which has left the pages of history
exposed. Layers of sandstone, mudstone, and limestone contain
fossils and other deposits. Limestone canyons and caves character-
ize the area, including Crooked Creek Canyon to the west and
Bighorn and Devil canyons to the east.
In a lecture this spring, Montana Wilderness Association Eastern
Montana field director Charlie Smillie described this singular landscape
as "wild," "sacred," and "under-explored." He described the rare plant
communities and diversity of soil types, and how early Paleo-Indians trav-
eled a route beginning at the mouth of Bighorn Canyon and extending
