Turtle Mountain (plateau)


Turtle Mountain, or the Turtle Mountains, is a geographical uplift in central North America, in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba, approximately south of the city of Brandon on Manitoba Highway 10 / U.S. Route 281. It is a plateau about above sea level and above the surrounding countryside, extending approximately from north to south and from east to west. Rising, North Dakota's most prominent peak, Boundary Butte, is located at the western edge of the plateau.
The Turtle Mountains contain large amounts of timber, numerous lakes, and small deposits of low-grade manganese. One of the largest lakes in the Turtle Mountains is Lake Metigoshe, which straddles the international border, with about one-eighth of the lake in Canada. The region is home to Lake Metigoshe State Park, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, two historic sites, and various hunting and fishing opportunities.
The Turtle Mountains are the traditional territory of the Plains Ojibwe, as well as part of the Métis homeland. Rapid colonization and settlement in the 19th century, along with the establishment of a firm border between Canada and the United States, displaced many Indigenous peoples to and from the region. Some identify as the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, who are federally recognized and whose reservation is in the valley on the southeastern edge of the plateau.

History

The Plains Ojibwe have a long established history in the Turtle Mountain region and the surrounding area. East of Turtle Mountain at Pembina lived one Ojibwe group as well as a number of Métis families. The Métis hunted and fished in the Turtle Mountains and increasingly moved westward from Pembina in search of declining buffalo populations. When the federal government agreed that Pembina would be a part of the United States in 1818, the Métis living there, along with a number of Chippewa with kinship ties to the Métis and some Ojibwe, claimed land near Turtle Mountain. The U.S. federal government recognized and designated this group the Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians, but this did not include all the Ojibwe peoples already established at Turtle Mountain. The misidentification of all Ojibwe as part of the Pembina Band has prevented full assertion of their rights. Throughout the 19th century, the Pembina Band was broken up and dispossessed of their lands as the government opened up the area for settlement. Among these groups are the Turtle Mountain Chippewa and the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa.

Environment

Wildlife

The Turtle Mountain area is covered by deciduous forest. Woodland overstory species are primarily green ash, quaking aspen, Manitoba maple, American elm, paper birch, bur oak, and balsam poplar. Common shrubs in the forest understory include beaked hazel, chokecherry, saskatoon berry, nannyberry, dogwood, highbush cranberry and pincherry. The area near Mary Lake includes the spotted coralroot orchid and calypso orchid. Most of the soils in the United States sector have been mapped as dark brown loamy Alfisols of the Kevin Series. In Canada, soils are dark gray chernozems of the Horton Series or orthic gray Luvisols of the Turtle Mountain Series. Turtle Mountain is home to moose, white-tailed deer, beaver, raccoon and mink, as well as birds like loons, great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, the double-crested cormorant and red-necked grebes. The abundant small lakes support painted turtles, wood frogs, northern leopard frogs, and the barred tiger salamander.

Coal mining

Following the discovery of coal in 1879, there was coal mining in the Turtle Mountains near the Old Deloraine town site in Manitoba and along ravines on the western flank of the plateau. The Lennox mine opened in 1883 and mining continued intermittently at the Voden, McArthur, McKay, and Manitoba Coal Company mines until 1908. When higher quality coal was found elsewhere and the Trans-Canada Railway was built, the mines closed. Small-scale coal mining was revived during the Depression because Turtle Mountain lignite was cheaper than higher coal grades from Saskatchewan. Peak annual production of the McArthur, Henderson, Deep Ravine, Salter, Powne, and Deloraine Coal Company mines averaged over 1,000 tons each. However, the produced 95% of Manitoba's coal over a span of about eight years. The last mine closed in 1943 due to labour shortages during World War II and changed economic conditions. The old Deloraine town site is now covered by a man-made lake, made when the Turtle-Head Dam was built.

Climate

Climate Station in Southern Manitoba, Canada.

Communities in the area

Counties and rural municipalities

Parks

Notable sites