Cree Crossing

Cree Crossing. . The Missouri River once flowed through this valley as it made its way northeasterly to Hudson's Bay. A gigantic ice dam diverted the Missouri to its current channel about 15,000 years ago. The Milk River occupies the old channel and flows through a valley choked with glacial debris. The river is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and at certain times of the year it may appear to be somewhat trivial and even dusty. But during the spring thaws it gets right down to business and runs bank full. , One of the best fords across the river in this part of Montana lies just northeast of here. For thousands of years, the crossing was used by the Indians to reach the buffalo range to the south. Although other tribes used the ford, it became known as Cree Crossing. Archaeological evidence indicates that people have been using it for at least 5,000 years. They left evidence of their presence in abandoned campsites and petroglyphs carved into the boulders haphazardly strewn about the area. During the 1930s, rock and gravel fill material needed for the massive Fort Peck Dam was quarried from a location just north of Cree Crossing.