Wild Horse Island
![]() Flathead Lake with Wild Horse Island visible in the distance | |
![]() ![]() Wild Horse Island | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Flathead Lake |
Coordinates | 47°50′43″N 114°12′54″W / 47.84528°N 114.21500°WCoordinates: 47°50′43″N 114°12′54″W / 47.84528°N 114.21500°W[1] |
Adjacent bodies of water | Big Arm Bay |
Total islands | 1 |
Area | 2,163 acres (875 ha)[2] |
Highest elevation | 3,749 ft (1142.7 m)[3] |
Administration | |
United States | |
State | Montana |
County | Lake |
Indian Reservation | Flathead Indian Reservation |
Additional information | |
Official website | Wild Horse Island State Park |
Wild Horse Island, approximately 2,164 acres (876 ha) in size,[2][4] is the largest island on Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Montana.[5] Protected as a state park since 1977, the island near is home to abundant wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, waterfowl, and bald eagles. It is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and lies within both the Flathead Indian Reservation and Lake County, Montana.
History[]
For centuries, the Salish-Kootenai used the island to pasture horses and keep them from being stolen by other tribes. The island was part of the Flathead Indian Reservation from the reservation's creation in 1872 until its dismantlement in 1904, when the island was divided into individual plots of land. A number of attempts were made towards agricultural development, but none succeeded.[6]
Between 1910 and 1915, homesteaders on the island cut down much of the old growth trees and introduced non-native grasses and other plant species. These species have competed with and overtaken much of the short-grass prairie that herbivorous wildlife need to survive.[7] This short grass prairie is one of the last remaining in Montana,[6] and because of this efforts must be made to control various animal species on the island to preserve the grasses from over-pasturing and extinction. Bighorn Sheep, for example, are managed at around 100 sheep. In 2014, the population was between 160 and 200 sheep, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks worked to relocate 59 sheep to other herds in Northwest Montana.[8] Three of the top five bighorn sheep recorded by the Boone and Crockett Club during the three years 2015-2018 came from Wild Horse Island.[9]
As of 2013, the wild horse population was five mares and one gelding.[10] Access is by boat only and for day-use only.[2] There are 56 private lots on the island,[2] about an acre (0.4 ha) each. The highest point is at 3,749 feet (1,143 m),[3] which is 853 feet (260 m) above the island's shores.[3]
Climate and topography[]
A study conducted over a 25-year span has shown the average yearly precipitation on Wild Horse Island to be 15.7 inches (400 mm). The average daily temperature ranges from 24 to 66 °F (−4 to 19 °C), with spikes sinking below 5 °F (−15 °C) during colder months and afternoons above 90 °F (32 °C) during the hotter months in dryer years. Overall, the island experiences below freezing temperatures about two thirds of the year.[7]
Wild Horse Island was formed by the Cordilleran Glacier, giving the island a varying topography. Its shores are 2,900 feet (880 m) above sea level. The glacier caused the six summits in the center of the island, ranging in heights between 3,277 and 3,745 feet (999 and 1,141 m), to be formed into rôche moutonnée, with rugged northern faces and rugged southern cliffs. Meadows sprawl the western and southern shores, while grasslands cover the southeast. The northern side of the island has forests of Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees.[11]
Gallery[]
Bighorn sheep grazing on the island.
Jet-skis parked on an Eastern shore.
Hiking trail that passes through pine-trees.
References[]
- ^ "Wild Horse Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Wild Horse Island State Park". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
Although 56 privately owned parcels still exist along the shore areas, most of the island (2,163 acres [875 ha]) is now a state park.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Wild Horse Island High Point, Montana". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ Philley, M. Peter; McCool, Stephen F. (1978). Wild Horse Island Recreation Study. p. 1. OCLC 884564441. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
The Island, comprising 2,165.09 acres [876.18 ha], is in Lake County, Montana, and also within the boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
- ^ "Flathead Lake". Montana Office of Tourism. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states, with over 200 square miles [520 km2] of water and 185 miles [298 km] of shoreline.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Tipton, Diane (2001). "Wild Horse Island". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 51, No. 1 (Spring): 70–71. JSTOR 4520301.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kautz, Darrell R. (1981). "Range and Wildlife Resources of Wild Horse Island, Flathead Lake, Montana". Ann Arbor. ProQuest 1124937366. Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ "Wild Horse Island bighorn sheep capture operation completed" (Press release). State of Montana. February 27, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Wes (May 3, 2019). "Boone and Crockett records are a 'barometer' of game species' health". Springfield News-Leader. Springfield, Missouri. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ Scott, Tristan (April 23, 2013). "Oldest horse on Flathead's Wild Horse Island dies". Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
The old horse's death leaves five mares and one gelding, a population that still outweighs what is technically allowed by Wild Horse Island State Park's management plan – a maximum of five wild horses to run free on the island's 2,164 acres [876 ha].
- ^ Schneider, Robert H. (1965). A summer art school for Wild Horse Island, Flathead Lake, Montana (Undergraduate thesis in architectural design). Montana State University. OCLC 41737400.
Further reading[]
- McCurdy, Edward B. (1975). Wild Horse Island, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Polson, Montana: Treasure State Publishing Company. ASIN B000730F64. OCLC 41721811.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wild Horse Island State Park. |
- Wild Horse Island State Park Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
- Wild Horse Island State Park Trail Map Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
- Landforms of Lake County, Montana
- Lake islands of Montana
- Protected areas established in 1977