Turtle Mountain, or the Turtle Mountains, is an area in central

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, in the north-central portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

and southwestern portion of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, approximately south of the city of Brandon on provincial highway 10. It is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

2,000 ft (600 m) above sea level, 300 ft to 400 ft (90 m to 120 m) above the surrounding countryside, extending 20 mi (32 km) from north to south and 40 mi (64 km) from east to west. Rising , North Dakota's most prominent peak, Boundary Butte, is located at the western edge of the plateau. It has timber, numerous lakes, and small deposits of low-grade

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...

. One of the largest lakes in the Turtle Mountains is

Lake Metigoshe Lake Metigoshe is a lake in both Bottineau County, North Dakota and the Rural Municipality of Winchester, Manitoba. The lake has a maximum depth of . It is located in the Turtle Mountains on the Canada–United States border The border ...

, which straddles the international border, with about one-eighth of the lake in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. The region is home to

Turtle Mountain Provincial Park Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Within it are the Adam Lake and Max Lake campgrounds. The park is known for its bike trails, fishing, back country cabi ...

, a

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 ...

, two historic sites, and various hunting and fishing opportunities. Turtle Mountain is the traditional territory of the Plains Ojibwe, as well as part of the

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United State ...

homeland. Rapid colonization and settlement in the 19th century, along with the establishment of a firm border between Canada and the United States, displaced many Indigenous peoples to and from the region. Some identify as the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, who are federally recognized and whose

reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

is in the valley on the southeastern edge of the plateau.

History

The Plains Ojibwe have a long established history in the Turtle Mountain region and the surrounding area. East of Turtle mountain at Pembina lived one Ojibwe group, as well as a number of Métis families. The Métis hunted and fished in the Turtle Mountains and increasingly moved westward from Pembina in search of declining buffalo populations. When the federal government agreed that Pembina would be a part of the United States in 1818, the Métis living there, along with a number of Chippewa with kinship ties to the Métis, and some Ojibwe claimed land near Turtle Mountain. The federal government recognized and designated this group the Pembina Band, but this did not include all the Ojibwe peoples already established at Turtle Mountain. The misidentification of all Ojibwe as part of the Pembina Band has prevented their full assertion of rights. Throughout the 19th century, the Pembina band was broken up and dispossessed of their lands as the government opened up the area for settlement. Among these groups are the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, and the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa.

Environment

Parkland, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba

Wildlife

The Turtle Mountain area is covered by deciduous forest. Woodland overstory species are primarily green ash (''

Fraxinus pennsylvanica ''Fraxinus pennsylvanica'', the green ash or red ash, is a species of ash native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida, and southwest to Oklahoma a ...

''), quaking aspen (''

Populus tremuloides ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

''), Manitoba maple (''

Acer negundo ''Acer negundo'', the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or inv ...

''), American elm ('' Ulmus americana''), paper birch (''

Betula papyrifera ''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper li ...

''), bur oak (''

Quercus macrocarpa ''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub o ...

''), and balsam poplar ('' Populus balsamifera''). Common shrubs in the forest understory include beaked hazel (''

Corylus cornuta ''Corylus cornuta'', the beaked hazelnut (or just ''beaked hazel''), is a deciduous shrubby hazel with two subspecies found throughout most of North America. Description The beaked hazelnut can reach tall with stems thick with smooth gray b ...

''), chokecherry ('' Prunus virginiana''), saskatoon berry ('' Amelanchier alnifolia''), nannyberry ('' Viburnum lentago''), dogwood (''

Cornus sericea ''Cornus sericea'', the red osier or red-osier dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to much of North America. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species '' Cornus alba''. Other names inclu ...

''), highbush cranberry ('' Viburnum trilobum'') and pincherry ('' Prunus pensylvanica''). The area near Mary Lake includes the spotted coralroot orchid (''

Corallorhiza maculata ''Corallorhiza maculata'', or spotted coralroot, is a North American coralroot orchid. It has three varieties: ''C. maculata var. occidentalis'' (western spotted coralroot), ''C. maculata var. maculata'' (eastern spotted coralroot or summer co ...

'') and calypso orchid (''

Calypso bulbosa ''Calypso'' is a genus of orchids containing one species, ''Calypso bulbosa'', known as the calypso orchid, fairy slipper or Venus's slipper. It is a perennial member of the orchid family found in undisturbed northern and montane forests. It h ...

''). Turtle Mountain is home to moose (''

Alces alces The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult male ...

''), white-tailed deer ('' Odocoileus virginianus''), beaver (''

Castor canadensis The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America (Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland and ...

''), raccoon ('' Procyon lotor'') and mink ('' Neogale vison''), as well as birds like loons ('' Gavia'' sp.), great blue heron (''

Ardea herodias The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Is ...

herodias''), black-crowned night heron ('' Nycticorax nycticorax''), the double-crested cormorant ('' Nannopterum auritum'') and red-necked grebes ('' Podiceps grisegena''). The abundant small lakes support painted turtles (''

Chrysemys picta The painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown to prefer l ...

''), wood frogs (''

Lithobates sylvaticus ''Lithobates sylvaticus'' or ''Rana sylvatica'', commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several nota ...

''), northern leopard frogs (''

Lithobates pipiens ''Lithobates pipiens''Integrated Taxonomic Information System nternet2012''Lithobates pipiens'' pdated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Dec 26Available from: www.itis.gov/ or ''Rana pipiens'', commonly known as the northern leopard frog, is a species ...

''), and the barred tiger salamander (''

Ambystoma mavortium The barred tiger salamander or western tiger salamander (''Ambystoma mavortium'') is a species of mole salamander that lives in lower western Canada, the western United States and northern Mexico. Description The barred tiger salamander typical ...

'').

Coal mining

Following the discovery of coal in 1879 there was

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

in the Turtle Mountains near Old Deloraine town site in

and along ravines on the western flank of Turtle Mountain. The Lennox mine opened in 1883 and mining continued intermittently at the Voden, McArthur, McKay, and Manitoba Coal Company mines until 1908. When higher quality coal was found elsewhere and the Trans-Canada Railway was built, the mines closed. Small scale coal mining was revived during the Depression because Turtle Mountain

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

was cheaper than higher coal grades from

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Peak annual production of the McArthur, Henderson, Deep Ravine, Salter, Powne, and Deloraine Coal Company mines averaged over 1000 tons each. However, th
Salter and Henderson mines
produced 95% of Manitoba's coal over a span of about eight years. The last mine closed in 1943 due to labour shortages during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and changed economic conditions.Turtle Mountain - Souris Plains Heritage Association
Turtle Mountain coal Mining
/ref> The old Deloraine town site is now covered by a man-made lake, made when the Turtle-Head Dam was built.

Climate

Climate Station in

Southern Manitoba Southern Manitoba is the southernmost area of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Southern Manitoba encompasses the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, Westman Region, Central Plains Region, Eastman Region, and Pembina Valley Region, as well as the M ...

, Canada.

Communities in the area

Belcourt, North Dakota Belcourt is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rolette County, North Dakota, United States. It is within the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The population was 1,510 at the 2020 census. The community is the seat of the Turtle Mountain Ban ...

Boissevain, Manitoba Boissevain () is an unincorporated urban community in Manitoba near the North Dakota border that held town status prior to 2015. It is located within the Municipality of Boissevain – Morton. Boissevain is a community of just over 1,500 people an ...

Bottineau, North Dakota Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Bottineau County and is located just over south of the Canada–United States border. The city's population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. The city ...

* Deloraine, Manitoba *

Dunseith, North Dakota Dunseith ( ) is a city in Rolette County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 632 at the 2020 census. Dunseith is best known for its proximity to the International Peace Garden. The port of entry at the Peace Garden is one of three ...

* East Dunseith, North Dakota * Green Acres, North Dakota *

Rolla, North Dakota Rolla ( ) is a city in Rolette County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Rolette County. The population was 1,223 at the 2020 census. The city contains a small park and a small outdoor pool. History Rolla was laid out in 1 ...

* St. John, North Dakota * Shell Valley, North Dakota

Counties and rural municipalities

* Bottineau County, North Dakota * Rolette County, North Dakota * Rural Municipality of Morton, Manitoba * Rural Municipality of Turtle Mountain, Manitoba * Rural Municipality of Winchester, Manitoba

Parks

* International Peace Garden * Lake Metigoshe State Park * Rabb Lake National Wildlife Refuge * School Section Lake National Wildlife Refuge *

* William Lake Provincial Park * Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Notable sites

* International Peace Garden *

Bottineau Winter Park Bottineau Winter Park is a modest alpine ski area in the midwestern United States, nestled in the Turtle Mountains of north-central North Dakota. Located north of Bottineau and three miles (5 km) south of the international border with ...

, a modest

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

with a vertical drop of , is in the western part of the plateau.

References

External links

Bottineau Winter ParkTurtle Mountains at Dakota Search
{{Authority control Landforms of Bottineau County, North Dakota Landforms of Rolette County, North Dakota Regions of North Dakota Landforms of Manitoba Forests of North Dakota