Square Butte (Montana) facts for kids
Square Butte is a special name given to 11 different buttes in Montana. A butte is like a tall, flat-topped hill with steep sides, often standing alone in a flat area. Two of the most famous Square Buttes are found in Cascade County, Montana, and Chouteau County, Montana. These unique landforms have even appeared in paintings by Charles Marion Russell, a famous artist known for his Western art.
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Square Butte in Cascade County
The Square Butte in Cascade County, Montana, is located about 22 miles (35 km) west of Great Falls. This butte stands tall at about 4,728 feet (1,441 meters) high.
This butte is easy to spot from many miles away. If you are driving on Interstate 15 west of Great Falls, you can see it clearly on the northern horizon. It's also visible from Montana Highway 200 near Sun River and Fort Shaw. To the west of this Square Butte, you can find another interesting landform called Crown Butte.
A Historic View from Lewis and Clark Pass
The Lewis and Clark Pass is a mountain pass that crosses the Northern Rocky Mountains. This pass is west of the Cascade County Square Butte. On July 7, 1806, the explorer Meriwether Lewis, from the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, saw Square Butte from this pass. He was returning from his journey to the Pacific Ocean.
In his journal, Lewis wrote that he saw the "fort mountain" (which was Square Butte) about 20 miles away to the northeast. Today, on a clear day, you can still see the Cascade County Square Butte from that pass. It's actually about 40 miles (64 km) away in the eastern Montana grasslands.
Square Butte in Chouteau County
The Square Butte in Chouteau County, Montana, is located about 50 miles (80 km) east of Great Falls. It is also about 15 miles (24 km) east of the center of the Highwood Mountains. This butte is even taller than the one in Cascade County, reaching about 5,732 feet (1,747 meters) high.
This Square Butte also stands out as a unique landmark on the horizon. You can see it from Montana Highway 3 between Geyser and Stanford, Montana. It's also visible from Montana Highway 80, which passes just east of the butte. The small town of Square Butte, Montana is located right at the base of this butte, on Montana Highway 80. A smaller landform called Round Butte is about 4 miles (6 km) to the west.
Square Butte in Art: C. M. Russell's Paintings
Charles Marion Russell, a very famous Western artist, often included these Square Buttes in the backgrounds of his paintings. For example, his well-known painting, "Charles M. Russell and His Friends," shows the Cascade County Square Butte in the distance.
Another painting, "The Tenderfoot," features the Chouteau County Square Butte in its background. Russell used these real Montana landscapes to make his art feel even more authentic and connected to the West.
Other Square Buttes in Montana
Did you know there are many other buttes named "Square Butte" across Montana? Here are a few more:
- Square Butte in Daniels County, Montana, about 2,897 feet (883 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Garfield County, Montana, about 3,058 feet (932 meters) high.
- Another Square Butte in Garfield County, Montana, about 2,831 feet (863 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Glacier County, Montana, about 4,570 feet (1,393 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Hill County, Montana, about 3,625 feet (1,105 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Musselshell County, Montana, about 4,528 feet (1,380 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Phillips County, Montana, about 2,933 feet (894 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Roosevelt County, Montana, about 2,572 feet (784 meters) high.
- Square Butte in Stillwater County, Montana, about 3,773 feet (1,150 meters) high.
