Medicine Rocks State Park, Montana

a view of one of the formations at Medicine Rocks State Park
Medicine Rocks State Park

A Bit of Background

In 1980, I drove through the small town of Stanford, Montana, the county seat of Judith Basin County.  The county courthouse caught my eye.  In this town of fewer than 600 residents, the courthouse stood out as the grandest structure in town.  I decided to find out what other Montana courthouses looked like—and to document them with my camera.  That was the birth of an idea that has taken me almost forty years to bring to fruition. 

 

At the time, I was working full time and using a Pentax Single Lens Reflex Camera and film.  Every image involved buying film, processing the film, printing the image, and hoping that everything came out clearly and in focus.  Add into that the fact that Montana is a large state, where distances are measured in time not miles.  I had neither the time nor the money to complete my project of visiting all fifty-six counties and photographing the court houses.  

Fast forward to Christmas 2006.  I bought my first Nikon digital single lens reflex camera and was close to retirement.  I now had the ability to get the images I wanted without the cost of processing film.  With my retirement in 2010, I now had the time to focus on my dream project.

Yep, It’s the Sales Pitch

The photograph is available from my Etsy Shop, LightIntoArt, in a wide variety of sizes and formats.  Choose glossy photo paper prints in three sizes:  8×10, 11×14, 16×20.  Or if you prefer something larger, choose canvas prints in 16×20, 24×36, or 30×40 inches.  Finally, for a spectacular display, you can get this image in 3 panel side-by-side canvas prints at 24 x 72, 36 x 72, or 40 x 90 inches.  The video below gives you an idea of what these sizes are like in a living room, bed room or office setting.

Which Brings Us to Carter County

Carter County is about as far from my home as you can travel and still be in Montana.  It is the southeastern corner of the state, bordering both South Dakota and Wyoming.  Eleven miles north of the county seat, Ekalaka, a fantasy landscape of erosion sculpted sandstone rises above the prairie.  In 1957, three hundred thirty acres of this region was set aside as Medicine Rocks State Park.  A winding road leads through the park, passing one formation after another, each more interesting than the last.  The park has twelve campsites, picnic tables, and vault toilets.  I was glad to be able to spend time documenting this wonderful site and I’m happy to share it with you.

The video below other photos I took while in Medicine Rocks. Should you see one you’d like to have as wall art, just ask. And if you missed yesterday’s post, Storm Clouds over Two Medicine Lake, just click here

Selected Scenes from Medicine Rocks State Park

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