Makoshika State Park ("ma-KO-sh(ih)kuh" from the

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: *Lakota, Iowa *Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County *Lakota ...

''Maco sica,'' meaning 'bad land' or 'land of bad spirits') is a nature preserve and public recreation area located on the southeast side of

Glendive Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northern ...

Dawson County, Montana Dawson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,940. Its county seat is Glendive. History Dawson County was the tenth county organized in Montana Territory. It was created January 15, ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

encompasses

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

containing

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

and rock from the

Hell Creek Formation The Hell Creek Formation is an intensively studied division of mostly Upper Cretaceous and some lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana. The formation stretches over portions of ...

. It is the largest of Montana's state parks at more than 11,000 acres (45 km²).

Park history

In 1938, the site was proposed as a Badlands National Park by the

Chamber of Commerce. Chamber secretary K. E. Burleigh wrote to federal officials, requesting that they "inspect our proposed bad-lands park, we would be very glad to show it to them and we would appreciate any efforts on your part to have a park established near Glendive, as you know we are very short on scenery and places of interest, and I believe it would be one way to stop tourists in Glendive for a day or two." However, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

regional office determined that the location was "not of national significance." The site became a state park in 1939, when Dawson County donated an initial 160 acres to the state. Another 80 acres were donated by the county in 1953. The state acquired additional lands from the

U.S. Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

, Dawson County, and private landowners over the course of the following five decades.

Fossil discoveries

Dinosaur fossils discovered in and near the park include examples of ''

Triceratops ''Triceratops'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivore, herbivorous Chasmosaurinae, chasmosaurine Ceratopsidae, ceratopsid dinosaur that first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 68 m ...

'' and ''

Thescelosaurus ''Thescelosaurus'' ( ; ancient Greek - (''-'') meaning "godlike", "marvellous", or "wondrous" and (') "lizard") was a genus of small neornithischian dinosaur that appeared at the very end of the Late Cretaceous period in North America. It was a ...

''. A 600-pound juvenile female triceratops skull measuring 5.5 feet long was unearthed in 1991. The skull is displayed in the park's visitor center. In 1997, a fossil thescelosaurus considered to be the largest and most complete skeleton of its kind was found by an expedition led by Jack Horner and Bob Harmon.

Wildlife

Turkey vultures, prairie falcons, and golden eagles make a home in the park.

Activities and amenities

The park features a visitors center with geology and fossil displays, scenic drives, nature trails, campground, archery area, amphitheater, and picnicking facilities. Events include the annual "Buzzard Day" celebration.

References

External links

Makoshika State Park
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Makoshika State Park Trail Map
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks {{authority control Protected areas of Dawson County, Montana State parks of Montana Natural history museums in Montana Museums in Dawson County, Montana Fossil parks in the United States Paleontology in Montana Protected areas established in 1953 1953 establishments in Montana Badlands of the United States