Gates of the Mountains Wilderness facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gates of the Mountains Wilderness |
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IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
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 Gates of the Mountains Wilderness
Location in the United States
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| Location | Lewis and Clark County, Montana, USA |
| Nearest city | Helena, MT |
| Area | 28,562 acres (115.59 km2) |
| Established | 1964 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The Gates of the Mountains Wilderness is a special protected area in Montana, a state in the USA. It was created by the U.S. Congress in 1964. This wilderness is managed by the Helena National Forest. It's a place where nature is kept wild and untouched.
A day-use picnic spot near the Gates of the Mountains is called Meriwether Picnic Site. It is named after Meriwether Lewis, a famous explorer.
Wilderness areas in the U.S. do not allow vehicles with motors or machines, like bicycles. You can go camping and fishing here if you have the right permit. But there are no roads or buildings. Also, there is no logging or mining allowed. This follows the rules of the 1964 Wilderness Act. In National Forests and areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management, hunting is also allowed during certain seasons.
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Discovering the Gates
The famous explorers Lewis and Clark gave the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness its name. Captain Lewis wrote about it on July 19, 1805. He said they entered "much the most remarkable clifts" they had ever seen. These cliffs rose straight up from the water's edge. They were about 1,200 feet (366 meters) high.
Lewis noted that the Missouri River seemed to have cut its way through this huge, solid rock. This canyon stretched for about 5.75 miles (9.25 kilometers). He called it "the gates of the rocky mountains."
In 1918, the Holter Dam was built. This created Holter Lake. When the dam was built, the water level of the Missouri River in the Gates area rose about 14 feet (4.3 meters).
A Special Place for Nature
For many years, people thought about making the Gates of the Mountains area a national park. In 1922, a senator from Montana, Thomas J. Walsh, suggested this idea. He wrote to Stephen Mather, who was in charge of the National Park Service. Senator Walsh said Mather must know about the area's "marvels and beauties" from Lewis and Clark's journals.
Mather visited the site. But he decided it wasn't important enough to be a national park. He thought it would be better protected by local or state groups. The National Park Service looked at the idea again in 1935 and the 1960s. Each time, they decided the area was more suitable for a county or state park. Finally, in 1964, the area became a wilderness area under the Wilderness Act. This law helps protect wild places.
The Mann Gulch Fire
The Gates of the Mountains Wilderness was once called the Gates of the Mountains Wild Area. In 1949, a terrible event happened here. It was called the Mann Gulch fire. This fire tragically killed 13 firefighters. The story of this fire was later told in a book called Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean.
Amazing Rock Formations
The tall, gray cliffs along the Missouri River in the Gates of the Mountains are made of a type of rock called Madison Limestone. This limestone forms many of the canyon's impressive walls.
Inside the canyon, you can find caves and folded layers of this Madison Limestone. The entire canyon is an example of a "superposed" or "antecedent stream." This means the river was there before the mountains began to rise. The river kept cutting through the rock as the land slowly pushed upwards. This created the deep canyon we see today.
