Mont. tribes want mountains returned

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2002

The tribes on the Fort Belknap Reservation want the federal government to return mountains that have been largely destroyed by gold mining.

The Little Rocky Mountains are considered sacred and have been used for sun dances and ceremonies. Two defunct gold mines have left many cleanup problems, however.

The federal government owns about 25,000 acres of the area. The Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes want the land returned and hope to develop tourism there.

Get the Story:
Little Rockies: A sacred, scarred place (The Billings Gazette 6/12)