Tongue River (Montana) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tongue River
Map of the Yellowstone River watershed with the Tongue River approximately in the center
Country	United States
State	Wyoming, Montana
Physical characteristics
Main source	Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming 44°49′06″N 107°27′20″W / 44.81833°N 107.45556°W / 44.81833; -107.45556
River mouth	Yellowstone River Miles City, Montana 46°24′33″N 105°52′00″W / 46.40917°N 105.86667°W / 46.40917; -105.86667
Length	265 mi (426 km)
Basin features
Basin size	5,397 sq mi (13,980 km2)
Tributaries	Right: Pumpkin Creek, Otter Creek, Hanging Woman Creek, Prairie Dog Creek, Goose Creek, Wolf Creek

The Tongue River is a river in Wyoming and Montana, United States. It flows into the Yellowstone River. The Tongue River is about 265 miles (426 km) long. It starts in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. The river then flows northeast through northern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. It joins the Yellowstone River near Miles City, Montana.

The Tongue River flows through beautiful areas. These include the Tongue River Canyon and pine hills. It also passes through grasslands. Long ago, huge herds of American bison lived here. Parts of the Cheyenne and Crow reservations are in the Tongue River area. The river's name comes from the Cheyenne language. /vetanove/ means "tongue" and /o'he'e/ means "river."

River's Journey: Where Does the Tongue River Flow?

Tongue River Watershed Map, Montana and Wyoming

The Tongue River gets its water from several places. In winter, snow falls in the high Bighorn Mountains. This snow melts and feeds the river. Water also comes from springs in the area. The river level goes up in March and April. This is because snow melts at lower elevations. It rises again in June when high mountain snows melt.

During dry summers, farmers use river water for irrigation. This can make the lower river very shallow. Sometimes, it becomes just a few pools connected by a small stream. In winter, the river usually freezes.

The Tongue River starts high in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. It flows down the east side of the mountains. It comes out of a canyon near Dayton, Wyoming. Then, it flows east past Ranchester, Wyoming. It joins with Goose Creek. After that, the Tongue River turns northeast into Montana. Here, a dam forms the Tongue River Reservoir.

From the reservoir, the river continues northeast. It flows through a prairie canyon and past Birney, Montana. The river forms the eastern edge of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. This is for about 25 miles north of the reservoir. It then flows through a wide valley to the Yellowstone River. This is near Miles City, Montana. The Tongue River Valley near Decker, Montana also touches the Crow Indian Reservation.

The Tongue River's source is in the Bighorn National Forest. The Ashland Ranger District of the Custer National Forest is also in this area. It has pine trees on hills between the Tongue River and Pumpkin Creek.

The "Tongue River Canyon" can mean two different places. It can be the mountain canyon in Wyoming. Or it can be the prairie canyon in Montana. This prairie canyon is downstream from the Tongue River Dam and Reservoir.

River Branches: What Are the Main Tributaries?

The main streams that flow into the Tongue River are:

• Pumpkin Creek
• Otter Creek
• Hanging Woman Creek
• Prairie Dog Creek
• Goose Creek

All these streams join the Tongue River from the east. They all flow north. Pumpkin Creek joins the Tongue about 13 miles (21 km) from its mouth. Otter Creek enters near Ashland, Montana. Hanging Woman Creek flows into the Tongue at Birney, Montana. Prairie Dog Creek and Goose Creek join the Tongue where it turns northeast. Goose Creek drains a beautiful area in Wyoming. Sheridan, Wyoming and Big Horn, Wyoming are in this area.

To the west of the Tongue River is the Rosebud Creek area. To the east is the Powder River area. Both of these rivers also flow north into the Yellowstone River.

The Tongue River flows through several counties. In Montana, it flows through Custer, Powder River, Rosebud, and Big Horn counties. In Wyoming, it flows through Sheridan County.

Climate: What is the Weather Like?

The Tongue River area has a semi-arid climate. This means it is generally dry. It gets some rain, but not a lot.

River's Foundation: How Was the Geology Formed?

The Tongue River basin is part of a larger area called the Powder River basin. This term can mean the land that drains into the Powder River. But it also means a huge geological bowl-shaped area. This area stretches from the Black Hills to the Big Horn Mountains. It includes the Tongue River area.

The Powder River basin is like a giant, shallow bowl. The rocks on the western side lean against the Big Horn Mountains. Over millions of years, these mountains rose up. They pushed and tilted the layers of rock from the basin. Then, wind and water wore away these rocks. This created the plains that stretch east from the mountains. Generally, older rock layers are closer to the mountains. Younger layers are farther away.

As the Tongue River leaves the Big Horn Mountains, it flows over younger rock layers. In the mountains, the river flows through a canyon made of Madison Limestone. This rock formed about 359 to 326 million years ago. As the river leaves the mountains, it flows through younger rocks. One is the thick red Chugwater Formation. This formed 250 to 199 million years ago.

Soon after, the Tongue River enters an area with a thick layer of buff-colored sandstone and clay. This rock layer is called the Tongue River Sandstone. It is named this because it is so common in the Tongue River basin. This sandstone is part of a larger rock group called the Fort Union Formation.

The buff-colored sandstones and shales of the Tongue River sandstone can be seen along most of the river. This is from Dayton, Wyoming, to north of Ashland, Montana. In this area, the sandstone layers hold underground water. This is why the hills on both sides of the Tongue River valley often have pine trees. As the river gets closer to Miles City, the valley changes. It becomes grassy rolling hills. Here, the river flows through different rock layers.

The Tongue River sandstone is well-known for its coal. It has about 32 coal layers. Together, they are over 300 feet thick. The thickness of these coal layers changes a lot. In some places, they are very thick. But a short distance away, they can disappear. Where these coal beds are thick and close to the surface, they are mined. This happens in large open pit mines near Decker, Montana.

Tongue River coal has low sulfur. Power plants across the U.S. want this coal. This helps them meet pollution rules. About 40% of the coal used for electricity in the U.S. comes from this area.

Millions of years ago, the area where the Tongue River flows was a flat, swampy plain. This was about 60 million years ago. Mountains were rising around it. The climate was subtropical, with lots of rain. For about 25 million years, thick layers of sand and silt built up. There were many rivers, swamps, and forests. Plants grew heavily, died, and formed peat layers in the swamps. More sand and silt would then cover these layers.

Later, the climate became drier and cooler. New layers of sediment buried the peat and sand. This squeezed the sand into the Tongue River sandstone. It also changed the peat into thin layers of lignite coal. Over the last few million years, much of the top sediment has worn away. This brought the sandstone and coal layers back to the surface.

The Tongue River sandstone forms cliffs, hills, and bluffs along the river. From Decker downstream to Birney, the river flows through a canyon. This canyon is carved from the Tongue River sandstone. The upper part of this canyon is where the Tongue River Reservoir is.

The hillsides and bluffs often have reddish bands. These red layers formed millions of years ago. Coal seams in the sandstone caught fire. This was probably from lightning starting prairie fires. The fires burned deep into the coal seams. They stopped when they ran out of air. These fires burned very hot for a long time. They baked the rocks above the coal. This turned the rock into a hard, reddish "clinker" substance.

These red "clinker" beds are harder than the sandstone. So, they often form the tops of bluffs and buttes. These layers can be five to twenty feet thick. Sometimes, larger, odd-looking rocks are found. They look like melted glass or volcanic rock. These also formed from burning coal beds. The reddish "clinker" is crushed and used to build roads in the Tongue River basin.

North of the Yellowstone, dinosaur fossils have been found in older rock layers. But no dinosaur fossils have been found in the Tongue River sandstone. However, plant fossils are common here. Many imprints of leaves and fronds have been found by scientists.

History: Who Lived Here Before?

Early People and Tribes

Around 1450, a Crow leader named No Intestines had a special dream. He led his group away from their main tribe. They were looking for sacred tobacco. They finally settled in southeastern Montana. This group became known as the Mountain Crow. By 1490, the Crow people were living in the Tongue River valley. To control this land, the Crow fought against Shoshone groups. They pushed them west. But they became friends with local Kiowa and Kiowa Apache groups.

The Crow were nomadic people. They hunted bison using dog travois. Around 1700, they got horses. This changed their way of life. They became skilled horse riders and hunters. The Kiowa groups moved south. The Crow remained powerful in this large area. This included the Tongue River, through the 1700s and 1800s.

The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 said that a large area was Crow land. This area included the Tongue River basin. But for 200 years, the Cheyenne and Lakota people had been moving west. By 1851, they were living south and east of Crow land in Montana. The Lakota and Cheyenne wanted the good hunting lands where the Crow lived. After 1851, they fought the Crow. They took control of the eastern hunting lands. This included the Powder and Tongue River valleys. They pushed the Crow further west.

After 1860, the Lakota claimed all lands east of the Big Horn Mountains. They said white people had to deal with them about entering these areas. Red Cloud's War (1866-1868) was a fight by the Lakota. They fought against the army on the Bozeman Trail. This trail went to the Montana gold fields. Red Cloud's War ended with a big victory for the Lakota. The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie confirmed their control. It gave them all the high plains from the Big Horn Mountains east to the Black Hills.

After this, Lakota groups led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, with their Northern Cheyenne friends, hunted and raided. They were active throughout eastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming. This included the Tongue River Valley. This continued until the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877. In this war, the Lakota and Cheyenne won a big battle against General George A. Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876. But the Great Sioux War ended with the defeat of the Sioux and Cheyenne. They either fled to Canada or were forced onto distant reservations.

In 1877, the Northern Cheyenne were sent to a reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). In 1878, a group of 279 Northern Cheyenne tried to return north. After many battles, the remaining group reached Fort Keogh. This fort was at the mouth of the Tongue River. General Miles allowed Fort Keogh to become a meeting place for the Cheyenne. Over time, Cheyenne families moved south from the fort. They started farms along the Tongue River and Rosebud Creek. In 1884 and 1900, the government created a reservation for the Northern Cheyenne. It was on Rosebud Creek, with the Tongue River as its eastern border.

Fur Trading Era: How Did Trappers Use the River?

In September 1833, a story of rivalry happened on the Tongue River. Two fur trading companies, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company (RMF) and the American Fur Company (AFC), were competing. Tom Fitzpatrick of RMF went to Crow camps on the Tongue River. He wanted to trade for furs. He also asked permission to hunt in their land. The Crows invited him to camp with them. He camped three miles away instead.

While Fitzpatrick visited the Crow camp, young Crow warriors stole his horses, rifles, traps, and furs. They also took his trade goods. This was likely encouraged by AFC agents. The next day, Fitzpatrick went back to the Crow chief. He begged for help. He got back some horses, rifles, and traps. But he did not get back his furs or trade goods.

In 1835, Samuel Tullock of the American Fur Company built Fort Van Buren. It was on the Yellowstone River, near the mouth of the Tongue River. At this fort, AFC agents traded furs with Native Americans. The fort was left empty in 1842 and later burned down.

Indian Wars: Battles Along the Tongue River

Bozeman Trail and Red Cloud's War

In 1864, the Bozeman Trail opened. This trail led to the Montana gold fields. Part of the trail went into the Tongue River Basin. It crossed to Goose Creek and then to the Tongue River. It continued up the Tongue River. After a terrible event called the Sand Creek massacre in November 1864, attacks by Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Sioux increased. These attacks happened along the Oregon Trail and the Bozeman Trail. The Bozeman Trail was then closed to regular travelers.

The army started a campaign to punish the Native Americans. General Patrick Edward Connor led soldiers up the Bozeman Trail. On August 29, 1865, General Connor's force surprised an Arapahoe village. The village had about 500 to 700 people. It was camped on the Tongue River near Ranchester, Wyoming. In the Battle of the Tongue River, soldiers attacked the camp. The Native Americans first fled, then fought back. The soldiers destroyed about 250 lodges. They then retreated down the Tongue River Valley. They took 700 to 1000 captured horses. Arapahoe warriors attacked them to get their horses back.

Two days later, on August 31, 1865, warriors from the same Arapahoe village attacked a large wagon train. This train was building and improving the Bozeman Trail. The wagon train was surrounded for 13 days. This happened at the Tongue River ford. It was between Ranchester, Wyoming and Dayton, Wyoming. Many men were killed. The wagon train started to retreat. Then, they met army cavalry who helped them. They escorted the wagon train to the Big Horn River. After that, the wagon train continued to the Montana gold fields.

In 1866, the army decided to build forts along the Bozeman Trail. The scout Jim Bridger suggested a fort site in the Tongue River Valley. This was near Ranchester, Wyoming. But Colonel Henry B. Carrington chose a different site. He built Fort Phil Kearny to the south.

From 1865 to 1868, during Red Cloud's War, Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux groups attacked travelers. They also attacked soldiers at Fort Phil Kearny and Fort C. F. Smith. These groups often made their main camps on the Tongue River. They could camp far enough from the forts to be safe. The lower Tongue River Valley had many good camp spots. These spots had wood for fires, plenty of water, and enough grass for their large horse herds.

Great Sioux War of 1876-1877

On August 4, 1873, Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer fought a larger Sioux force. This happened at the Battle of Honsinger Bluff. It was about 7 miles (11 km) above the mouth of the Tongue on the Yellowstone River. Custer's soldiers were protecting railroad survey teams. Many leaders from this battle were also at the more famous Battle of the Little Bighorn three years later.

On June 9, 1876, during the Great Sioux War, General George Crook was camped on the Tongue River. Sioux warriors fired into his camp from a bluff. Soldiers under Captain Anson Mills crossed the river and drove the Sioux away. After this, General Crook moved his camp. He went to the junction of Big and Little Goose Creeks. This is where Sheridan, Wyoming is now. On June 16, Crook's forces moved north. They were joined by Crow and Shoshone scouts. On June 17, 1876, they fought a large Sioux and Cheyenne force at the Battle of the Rosebud. After the battle, Crook returned to his camp on Goose Creek. He was still there on June 25, 1876. That was when General George A. Custer was defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. That battle was about 65 miles (105 km) north.

In the fall of 1876, after Custer's defeat, the army decided to set up a base. Colonel Nelson A. Miles built the Tongue River Cantonment at the mouth of the Tongue River. A town called "Milestown" grew nearby. Colonel Miles made the town move three miles away from the army base. The next year, Colonel Miles built Fort Keogh about 2 miles (3 km) west of the Tongue. After the fort was done, Miles allowed people to settle on the east bank of the Tongue. Milestown then moved 3 miles (5 km) west, becoming Miles City. Today, the Tongue River joins the Yellowstone River within Miles City.

On December 16, 1876, five Sioux chiefs from Crazy Horse's village came to the Tongue River Cantonment. They wanted to talk about surrendering. The Sioux were enemies of the Crow. Some of the army's Crow scouts suddenly attacked and killed the five Sioux chiefs. This happened in sight of the army base. But it was so fast that the army could not stop it. The Crow scouts involved immediately ran away. This event delayed the surrender of Sioux and Cheyenne groups. It made the Great Sioux War last longer.

On January 8, 1877, Colonel Miles fought one of the last battles of the Great Sioux War. This was near Birney, Montana, in the Tongue River Valley. Colonel Miles avoided an ambush by Oglala Sioux under Crazy Horse and Cheyenne under White Bull and Two Moons. He then fought the Native American forces, pushing them back up the Tongue River. This battle is called the Battle of the Wolf Mountains. The battle site is about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Birney.

Lumber: Trees and Timber

A sawmill operates at Ashland. It cuts timber harvested from the hills and valleys nearby.

Farming and Ranching: Life on the Land

The Tongue River basin is great for raising livestock. There are limited farm lands along the streams. These lands are usually watered by irrigation dams. They grow crops like hay, corn, barley, and alfalfa. These crops help feed the livestock. Dry land wheat farming is not common here.

Cattle ranches in the Tongue River Basin mostly raise "cow calf" herds. This means they raise calves from birth. The yearly cycle starts with calves being born from February to May. In spring, calves are branded. Bulls are put with cows to start the next year's calf cycle. Herds move to summer pastures. In June and July, farmers cut and store hay for winter. Feed crops are harvested in late summer or fall. In late fall, calves are separated and sold. The herd moves to winter pastures. Around December, snow falls, and feeding hay begins. Ranch work, repairs, and caring for cattle happen all year.

One of the oldest irrigation projects on the Tongue River is the T&Y Ditch. It started in 1886. The dam for this ditch was recently changed. It now has a fish ladder. This allows fish from the Tongue and Yellowstone Rivers to swim upstream. This is the first time in 125 years.

Coal Deposits and Mines: Energy from the Earth

In the past, underground coal mines were along the Tongue River. These were near Monarch, Kleenburn, and Acme. These towns are about 7 to 10 miles (11 to 16 km) north of Sheridan, Wyoming. The mines used coal seams that were close to the surface. The CB&Q railroad carried coal from these mines to Billings, Montana. These underground mines operated from about 1900 to the late 1940s.

Today, the same coal seams are mined using large open surface excavations. Several big coal strip mines are near the Tongue River Reservoir. This is close to Decker, Montana. These mines produce low-sulfur coal. A railroad line connects these mines to the main BNSF line near Sheridan, Wyoming. This allows coal to be shipped to power plants across the United States.

Large, untouched coal deposits are along Otter Creek. This is a stream that flows into the Tongue River. These coal deposits are south of Ashland. They are thick and close to the surface, making them valuable. But there is no railroad to transport the coal. Also, there isn't a large enough town nearby to support the workers needed. A new railroad line would have to be built from Miles City. This would be about 65 to 70 miles (105 to 113 km) long. The town of Ashland would also need many improvements to support more families. These coal deposits are a big topic of discussion for future energy development in southeastern Montana.

Transportation: Getting Around the Basin

Roads and Travel

I-94, a major east-west highway, crosses the Tongue River at Miles City. I-90, another east-west highway, crosses the upper Tongue River between Ranchester and Dayton. It continues to Sheridan. U.S. Highway 212 goes east and west through Ashland. It cuts across the middle of the Tongue River basin.

There is a road along almost the entire length of the Tongue River. Its major branches also have roads. But most of these are gravel roads, not paved. This shows how remote the area is. From Miles City, going up the river, there are about 30 miles (48 km) of paved road. Then there are 35 miles (56 km) of gravel. After that, about 7 miles (11 km) of paved road lead into Ashland. South of Ashland, there are 20 more miles (32 km) of paved road. Then, 38 miles (61 km) of gravel roads lead to paved road above the Tongue River Reservoir. Finally, 10 miles (16 km) of paved road reach the Montana/Wyoming state line. In Wyoming, paved roads follow the Tongue River to Ranchester and Dayton. A road from Dayton goes into the mountains for a short distance. After that, you can only reach the river by hiking trails.

The smaller streams that flow into the Tongue River also have gravel roads. These roads lead to local ranches. In Wyoming, Goose Creek has well-developed paved and gravel roads. This is because Sheridan, Wyoming is in its basin. There are also gravel roads that cross the hills between the river valleys.

In winter, travel can be very hard or impossible due to snow. This is especially true on remote gravel roads that are not plowed often. If you get stuck in remote areas during cold winter weather, there is a real risk of danger. The Tongue River basin does not have the "gumbo" mud that makes roads difficult in other areas. On gravel and dirt roads, be careful at sharp turns and blind hilltops. Watch out for slow farm vehicles. In warm weather, look for dust clouds to see if a vehicle is coming. Always watch for livestock on the road. Also, look for deer, especially at dawn, dusk, and night.

There are good services for travelers in Miles City, Montana. This is at the mouth of the Tongue River basin. Services are also available in Dayton, Ranchester, and near Sheridan, Wyoming. Ashland, in the middle of the basin, has limited services. For the rest of the Tongue River basin, travelers need to be prepared.

Railroads: Trains and Tracks

For many years, people have talked about building a north-south railroad. It would connect Miles City and Sheridan, Wyoming. This line would run along the Tongue River valley.

From 1923 to 1935, the North and South Railway planned a line. It would go from Miles City, Montana, through Sheridan, to Casper, Wyoming. The northern part was to run along the Tongue River. Tracks were only laid on part of the southern section. But grading was done on the northern part. You can still see cuts and raised areas about 7 miles (11 km) south of Miles City. Financial problems stopped the project in 1935.

Today, the Tongue River Railroad project is being planned. It has been in the works for over 30 years. It aims to move coal from near Ashland to Colstrip.

The BNSF railroad runs along the Tongue River for about 10 miles (16 km). This is about 7 miles (11 km) north of Sheridan, Wyoming. From 1900 to 1940, this part of the railroad shipped coal from underground mines. This railroad was part of the old Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) system. It is now part of the BNSF system.

The Northern Pacific Railroad built tracks to Miles City in 1881. It crossed the Tongue River about a mile from where it joins the Yellowstone. This was part of a main line from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Tacoma, Washington. It was finished in 1883 and is still used by BNSF today.

The Milwaukee Road (the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway) finished its main line in 1909. This line also went through Miles City and crossed the Tongue River. This line stopped working in the early 1980s and is no longer used.

Wildlife and Fish: Animals of the River

The Tongue River Valley is a great place for wild animals. It has rolling prairies, sandstone rocks, and ponderosa pines. Many whitetail deer and mule deer live here. Some are very large. Antelope are found throughout the area. In the southern parts, especially in the Custer National Forest, there are growing herds of prairie elk. Elk were originally from the plains of eastern Montana. The area also has many upland game birds. These include pheasant and grouse. Wild turkeys are also becoming more common.

The Tongue River's source is in the Big Horn National Forest. This area is good for hunting deer, elk, bear, and mountain lion.

The grey wolf is a topic of discussion in the Tongue River Basin. There have been unconfirmed sightings of wolves in remote areas. Livestock, especially sheep and calves, can be harmed by wolves and coyotes. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, wolves caused many problems for livestock. This led to a "war" on these predators. Bounties were paid to kill them. By the mid-1930s, wolves were gone from the Tongue River basin. Now, people have more sympathy for wolves. Since wolves were released in Yellowstone Park in 1995, ranchers worry. They fear wolf packs will move from the park to cattle country. The debate about wolf reintroduction continues in areas like the Tongue River basin.

The Tongue River Reservoir is popular for fishing. Many very large catfish have been caught there. In its upper parts, above the reservoir and into the Big Horn Mountains, people fish for trout. There are several places in Wyoming where you can access the river for fishing.

The Tongue River is a Class I river from the Tongue River Dam to where it meets the Yellowstone River. This means it is open to the public for recreation.

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See also

In Spanish: Río Tongue para niños