Big Muddy Badlands Explained

Big Muddy Badlands
Type:Badlands
Map:North America
Location:Southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana
Coordinates:49.2176°N -105.2191°W
Range:Missouri Coteau
Part Of:Big Muddy Valley
Length:55km
Width:3.2km
Depth:160m
Formed By:Big Muddy Creek
Geology:Badlands
Age:Last ice age

The Big Muddy Badlands[1] are a series of badlands in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, and northern Montana, United States, in the Big Muddy Valley and along Big Muddy Creek.[2] Big Muddy Valley is a cleft of erosion and sandstone that is 55km (34miles) long, 3.2km (02miles) wide, and 160m (530feet) deep.[3]

The Big Muddy Valley and Big Muddy Badlands were formed over 12,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age when a glacial lake outburst flood occurred from a pre-historic glacial lake located at present-day Old Wives Lake.[4] Big Muddy Lake is a large salt lake at the heart of the badlands. Two other notable lakes, Willow Bunch Lake and Lake of the Rivers, are farther upstream in the valley.

A prominent feature of the badlands is Castle Butte, which is an outcrop of sandstone and compressed clay that protrudes above the flat prairie. It has a height of and a circumference of . It is located south of Bengough on Highway 34, about halfway between Big Muddy Lake and Willow Bunch Lake.[5]

Jean Louis Legare Regional Park is a campground and golf course near Willow Bunch at the northern end of the valley.[6]

Ranching and tourism are important industries in the sparsely populated area.[7] Tours of the badlands are arranged from the nearby town of Coronach.[8]

Important Bird Areas of Canada

Within the Big Muddy Valley and Badlands are four Important Bird Areas of Canada covering five salt lakes and almost of habitat. All four sites are important for the nationally endangered piping plover.[9]

Canada's Historic Places

Sam Kelly Sites

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the Badlands formed the northern end of the "Outlaw Trail", a series of trails and stopping areas utilized by outlaws in the American West spanning from Canada to Mexico. Outlaws such as Henry Borne and his brother Coyote Pete, Sam Kelly, the Pigeon Toed Kid, and the notorious Sundance Kid turned up in the area.[15] [16] [17]

In 1999, of land was set aside as the Sam Kelly Sites in the Canadian part of the badlands and put on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. The historical site contains nine archaeological sites, including stone rings and effigies, caves, and homestead remains.[18]

Buffalo Effigy

The Buffalo Effigy was constructed by local Indigenous people from fieldstone overlooking West Beaver Creek[19] near the border with Montana. The 64-hectare site was formally recognized in 1999. Besides the Buffalo Effigy, there is a stone cairn and at least eight stone rings.[20]

Minton Turtle Effigy

The Minton Turtle Effigy is located on a hill overlooking Big Muddy Badlands and Big Muddy Lake. The effigy is long and wide. It was first identified by Thomas Kehoe in 1965. He believed it represented a turtle, yet others, including Indigenous elders, believe it represents a badger.[21] The site is a protected area and is fenced off with an informative plaque describing the turtle.[22]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Big Muddy Valley . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 4 December 2022.
  2. Web site: Big Muddy Creek . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 19 November 2022.
  3. Web site: Yanko . Dave . The Badlands . Virtual Saskatchewan . Virtual Saskatchewan . 10 December 2022.
  4. Web site: Harel . Claude-Jean . Big Muddy Valley . The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan . University of Regina . 20 November 2022.
  5. Web site: Castle Butte . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 10 December 2022.
  6. Web site: Jean Louis Legare . Regional Parks of Saskatchewan . Saskatchewan Regional Parks . 22 February 2023.
  7. Web site: Coronach Tourism Big Muddy & Outlaw Cave Tours . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 4 December 2022.
  8. Web site: Unique Places to visit in Saskatchewan . To Do Canada . 26 March 2024 . 21 July 2023.
  9. Web site: Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas . Nature Saskatchewan . Nature Saskatchewan . 7 January 2023.
  10. Web site: Alkali Lake . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 8 January 2023.
  11. Web site: Alkali Lake . IBA Canada . Birds Canada . 8 January 2023.
  12. Web site: Coteau Lakes . IBA Canada . Birds Canada . 8 January 2023.
  13. Web site: Big Muddy Lake (and surroundings) . IBA Canada . Birds Canada . 7 January 2023.
  14. Web site: Willow Bunch Lake, Saskatchewan . IBA Canada . Birds Canada . 7 January 2023.
  15. Web site: The Infamous Sam Kelley . Virtual Saskatchewan . Virtual Saskatchewan . 4 December 2022.
  16. News: Bain . Jennifer . Big Muddy Badlands are a hidden gem in Saskatchewan . 4 December 2022 . Toronto Star . Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. . 6 October 2017.
  17. Web site: Yanko . Dave . Outlaw Rule . Virtual Saskatchewan . Virtual Saskatchewan . 8 December 2022.
  18. Web site: Sam Kelly Sites . Canada's Historic Places . Parks Canada . 4 December 2022.
  19. Web site: West Beaver Creek . Canadian Geographical Names Database . Government of Canada . 7 May 2022.
  20. Web site: Buffalo Effigy . Canada's Historic Places . Parks Canada . 4 December 2022.
  21. Web site: Siegfried . Evelyn . Minton Turtle Effigy . Royal Saskatchewan Museum . Royal Saskatchewan Museum . 8 December 2022 . 11 October 2017.
  22. Web site: Six Unmissable Saskatchewan Heritage Landmarks to Find on your Next Saskatchewan Road Trip . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 8 December 2022 . 10 April 2022.

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