Tongue River (Montana) - Geography

Geography

The Tongue River is fed by winter snow pack from the higher elevations of the Big Horn Mountains, early snow runoff of the lower elevations in the drainage basin, and ground water from springs in the drainage basin. The river rises in March and April due to snowmelt in the lower elevations, and again in June as summer weather melts the higher elevation snow pack. The flow of water in the upper river during the summer is generally steady, but in the later months of a dry summer, irrigation will reduce the lower river to a few pools of water connected by a small trickle. The river is generally frozen during the winter months.

The Tongue River rises in the highlands of the Big Horn Mountains in north central Wyoming descends the eastern side of mountains, emerging from Tongue River's mountain canyon near Dayton, Wyoming. The river then flows eastward, past Ranchester, Wyoming and merges with Goose Greek, after which the Tongue turns to flow northeast into Montana where it is dammed, forming the Tongue River Reservoir. Continuing northeast from the reservoir, the river flows through Tongue River's prairie canyon, and the Tongue River breaks passing Birney, Montana.

The river forms the eastern boundary of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation from about 25 miles north of the reservoir to a point 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Ashland, Montana, after which the river continues to flow in a broad valley to its mouth on the Yellowstone River near Miles City, Montana. The Tongue River Valley near Decker, Montana also contains the southeast corner of the large Crow Indian Reservation.

The Tongue River headwaters are on the Bighorn National Forest. On forested buttes lying between the Tongue River and Pumpkin Creek is the Ashland Ranger District of the Custer National Forest, which has three separate ranger districts, the other two being the Beartooth Ranger District located in the area of the Beartooth uplift, and the Sioux Ranger District located in the southeast corner of Montana and the northwest corner of South Dakota.

Tongue River Canyon can refer to either the river's mountain canyon in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, or the river's prairie canyon in Montana, located downstream from the Tongue River Dam and Reservoir.

The major tributaries of the Tongue are Pumpkin Creek, Otter Creek, Hanging Woman Creek, Prairie Dog Creek and Goose Creek. All these tributaries enter on the right hand side of the river, and all flow in a northerly direction.

Pumpkin Creek enters the Tongue about 13 miles (21 km) above the mouth of the river, and extends for 71 miles (114 km) into the Custer National Forest; the small community of Sonnette, Montana is at the headwaters. Otter Creek enters the Tongue River near Ashland, Montana, about 68 miles (109 km) miles upstream of the mouth of the river, and its headwaters are near the Wyoming-Montana state line about 40 miles (64 km) to the south. Hanging Woman Creek empties into the Tongue at Birney, Montana, about 91 miles (146 km) above the mouth of the Tongue, and its headwaters are 35 miles (56 km) away in northern Wyoming. Prairie Dog Creek and Goose Creek flow into the Tongue at the point where the Tongue turns from an eastward direction to flow toward the north east. Goose Creek drains a scenic, well watered basin in Wyoming, on the eastern edge of the Big Horn Mountains where Sheridan and Big Horn, Wyoming are located.

The drainage basin to the west is the Rosebud Creek basin. The drainage basin to the east is the Powder River basin. Both rivers, like the Tongue, flow in a northerly direction into the Yellowstone River.

The Tongue and its tributaries flow through parts of Custer, Powder River, Rosebud and Big Horn Counties, Montana, and Sheridan County, Wyoming.