The Big Muddy Badlands[1] are a series of badlands in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, and northern Montana, United States, in the Big Muddy Valley and along Big Muddy Creek.[2] Big Muddy Valley is a cleft of erosion and sandstone that is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) wide, and 160 metres (520 ft) deep.[3]
A prominent feature of the badlands is Castle Butte (49°13′03″N105°13′09″W / 49.2175°N 105.2191°W / 49.2175; -105.2191), which is an outcrop of sandstone and compressed clay that protrudes above the flat prairie. It has a height of 60 metres (200 ft) and a circumference of 500 metres (1,600 ft). It is located 19 kilometres (12 mi) south of Bengough on Highway 34, about halfway between Big Muddy Lake and Willow Bunch Lake.[5]
Ranching and tourism are important industries in the sparsely populated area.[7] Tours of the badlands are arranged from the nearby town of Coronach.[8]
Important Bird Areas of Canada
Within the Big Muddy Valley and Badlands are four Important Bird Areas of Canada covering five salt lakes and almost 400 km2 (150 sq mi) of habitat. All four sites are important for the nationally endangered piping plover.[9]
Alkali Lake (SK 016) (49°00′00″N104°18′02″W / 49.0001°N 104.3005°W / 49.0001; -104.3005) at only 4.98 km2 (1.92 sq mi) is the smallest IBA in the valley. The IBA is located at the eastern edge of the Big Muddy Badlands and encompasses the small Alkali Lake[10] that straddles the border with Montana. Alkali Lake is known as Salt Lake on the Montana side of the border.[11]
Coteau Lakes (SK 017) (49°02′35″N104°29′32″W / 49.0431°N 104.4921°W / 49.0431; -104.4921) covers two lakes – West and East Coteau Lakes – and a total area of 37.61 km2 (14.52 sq mi). West Coteau Lake has one dam and East Coteau Lake has four dams, all of which are used to control water levels. The East Coteau Lake has a sodium sulphatemine on its shore at Sybouts.[12]
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the Badlands formed the northern end of the "Outlaw Trail", a series of trails and stopping areas utilized by outlaws in the American West spanning from Canada to Mexico. Outlaws such as Henry Borne and his brother Coyote Pete, Sam Kelly, the Pigeon Toed Kid, and the notorious Sundance Kid turned up in the area.[15][16][17]
The Minton Turtle Effigy (49°11′15″N104°44′49″W / 49.1874°N 104.7469°W / 49.1874; -104.7469) is located on a hill overlooking Big Muddy Badlands and Big Muddy Lake. The effigy is 41.98 m (137.7 ft) long and 26.07 m (85.5 ft) wide. It was first identified by Thomas Kehoe in 1965. He believed it represented a turtle, yet others, including Indigenous elders, believe it represents a badger.[21] The site is a protected area and is fenced off with an informative plaque describing the turtle.[22]
