Ekalaka is a remote town in Carter County, situated in the northern hills of the Sioux Ranger District, right in the middle of Russell Creek Valley.
This small town is home to the historical Carter County Museum, which displays some of the paleontological discoveries in the US.
Ekalaka was founded in 1885 by a hunter known for the saying, “Anyplace in Montana is a good place to open a saloon”. While looking for the perfect place to erect his saloon, his wagon got stuck in the snow.
He then constructed and opened a pub at that spot, which later became a trade center for sheepherders and cattle ranchers.
Although this bison hunter founded Ekalaka, the town wasn’t named after him. Instead, it was named for a Sioux girl, Ijkalaka, an Oglala Sioux daughter born on the Powder River in 1858. Ijkalaka was the partner of David Harrison Russell, considered among Ekalaka’s first white settlers.
Today, Ekalaka is the county seat of Carter County. It has everything you may need to raise a family, including K-12 schools, a healthcare center, coffee shops, hardware stores, several watering holes, and grocery stores.
The town also offers several outdoor activities, including rodeos and car derbies.
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Carter County Museum
Sitting centrally on Ekalaka’s main street, the Carter County Museum started in 1936. It was Montana’s first county museum and the first to display dinosaur fossils.
Besides dinosaur exhibits, the Carter County Museum showcases unique paleontological displays.
If you’re interested in dinosaur discoveries, Ekalaka is the place to be. Hundreds of years ago, Carter County was believed to have homed different dinosaur species. Their remains are today housed in the Carter County Museum.
Among them are skeletons of Edmontosaurus annectens, Anatosaurus copei, and Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis. There’s also a complete skull of Triceratops horridus, all of them mounted in the Lambert Room within the museum.
This museum hosts the annual Dino Shindig every last weekend of July. This event brings together dinosaur enthusiasts, paleontologists, and community people for lectures, fun, and entertainment.
Medicine Rocks State Park
