Dorothy V. Johnson Park in Plains in Sanders County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Wild Horse Plains
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022
1. Wild Horse Plains Marker
Wild Horse Plains is nestled in a circular valley at an elevation of 2,450 ft., drained by the Clark Fork River. Between 70,000 and 130,000 years ago the Bull Lake ice age glaciers dammed the Clark Fork River Valley creating Glacial Lake Missoula. All of the waters from the Clark Fork River drainage backed up to form a Lake. When the ice dam broke, the Clark Fork River carried more water than the combined flow of all the streams of the world.
In the early 1800's Native American tribes traveled through the area. The fertile valley was used for wintering their ponies, harvesting salmon, and holding great councils. Mountain men, trappers, surveyors, and map makers were soon to follow.
White settlers began their movement in the valley in the late 1860's. During the decades to follow farming, ranching, and lumbering would flourish in the valley.
The Northern Pacific Railway arrived in 1881-1883 and the town began to increase in size and importance. Businesses flourished and eventually the name was shortened to Horse Plains and finally to Plains
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 47° 27.354′ N, 114° 52.656′
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Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana and in Glacier Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Flathead House (approx. 7.6 miles away); Road to the Buffalo (approx. 7.6 miles away); Sanctuary for Wetland Wildlife (approx. 7.6 miles away); Wildlife Thrive In Corridor Year Round (approx. 9.3 miles away); Searching For Fur And A Finer Life (approx. 9.4 miles away); Coursing Through Miles Of Montana (approx. 9.4 miles away); Phantom Formation Is Rock Solid In Corridor (approx. 10.2 miles away); Native People Sustained Through Many Millennia (approx. 10.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Plains.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022
2. Wild Horse Plains Marker
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022
3. Original Wild Horse Plains Log Schoolhouse built 1878
Plaque left of the door reads, "In Memory of Wild Horse Plains Pioneers 1878 - 1976."
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022
4. Wild Horse Plains Marker
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 8, 2022
5. Original Wild Horse Plains Log Schoolhouse built 1878
Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 734 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 31, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
