Watford City in McKenzie County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Edge of a Glacier
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
1. Edge of a Glacier Marker
These small boulders are clues to a fascinating story. Geologists believe they were ripped from bedrock 400 miles north in Canada and carried to this point by a great glacier which covered nearly all North America north and east of here.
The ice melted thousands of years ago, but these rocks, called erratics because they are out of place, are clear evidence the glacier once covered the ground upon which you stand.
The course of the Little Missouri and Missouri Rivers from here east marks the southern edge of the glacier that dropped these rocks.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 47° 36.676′ N, 103° 26.042′ W. Marker was in Watford City, North Dakota, in McKenzie County. It was on Scenic Drive, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located at the Edge of Glacier Pullout in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Watford City ND 58854, United States of America.
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
this page online
Regionally, this marker was in North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Patch. It was also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: A Wild River / Growing Old / Cotton (approx. 0.6 miles away); Work in Progress / Better Together (approx. 2.2 miles away); The View that Launched a Park (approx. 2.6 miles away); Bentonitic Clay (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Long X Trail: A Dusty Trail to Greener Pastures (approx. 3.7 miles away); North Dakota Badlands (approx. 4.1 miles away); Cannonball Mystery (approx. 4.8 miles away); Tilted (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Watford City.
Other markers no longer nearby. Roosevelt and the Boat Thieves (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been permanently removed); Man and Grass (was approx. 2.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Building From Hard Times (was approx. 2.6 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Long X Cattle Trail (was approx. 4.2 miles away but has been permanently removed); Cannon Ball Concretions (was approx. 4.9 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
2. Edge of a Glacier Marker
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
3. Marker in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 21, 2015
4. Glacial Boulder
This is one of several boulders visible from the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 773 times since then and 54 times this year. Last updated on August 20, 2025, by Susan Van Den Bosch of Almond, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 14, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
