Devil's Slide (Montana) Explained

Devils Slide
Elevation Ft:6499
Parent Peak:Cinnabar Mountain
Map:Montana
Location:South of Yankee Jim Canyon, Cinnabar Mountain, Yellowstone River, Park County, Montana
Range:Gallatin Range
Coordinates:45.0922°N -110.7997°W
Topo:Electric Peak

Devil's Slide is an unusual cliff rock formation on the side of Cinnabar Mountain located in Gallatin National Forest in Park County, Montana north of Yellowstone National Park. This distinctive formation can be viewed from Highway 89 and was created from alternate beds of limestone, sandstone, quartzites[1] that have been tilted to lie nearly vertical and have eroded at different rates.

History

In 1871, very few white travellers had ventured this far south in the Yellowstone River valley. The Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition passed the Devil's Slide in 1869. Cook and Folsom described the slide in their diaries but did not name them[2]

In August 1870, the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition observed the formation and named it The Devil's Slide. Langford described the formation in his Wonders of the Yellowstone published in the May 1871 edition of Scribner's Monthly:

Notes and References

  1. http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/show_picture.cgi?ID=ID.%20Jackson,%20W.H.%20%20%2071 USGS Survey Library
  2. Book: Cook, Charles W. . Folsom, Dave E. . Peterson, William . Haines, Aubrey L. . The Valley of the Upper Yellowstone-An Exploration of the Headwaters of the Yellowstone River in the Year 1869 . University of Oklahoma Press . Norman, OK . 1965 . 19.