Slough Creek is a tributary of the Lamar River, approximately 25 mi (40 km) long, in Montana and Wyoming in the United States.
History
Slough Creek got its name when an 1867 party of gold prospectors ventured into the valley and described its condition as a slough. The name began appearing on maps as early as 1872. A myth associated with the name involves a U.S. Army enlisted man who was escorting an exploring party in 1873 and got lost in the valley. Trumpeter John P. Slough of Company I, Second Cavalry wrote this in his diary:
Although many have attempted to attribute the name to Trumpeter Slough based on his diary, the name was given in 1867.
Location
It rises in southern Montana, in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in the Beartooth Mountains, and flows southwest, into Yellowstone National Park and into Wyoming. It discharges to the Lamar River near Tower junction within Yellowstone National Park. In turn the Lamar River forms a confluence with the Yellowstone River inside of Yellowstone National Park. Slough Creek is a mildly alkali watercourse. The Slough Creek watershed consists of mixed fir forest, sage flats and grassland. These plant communities support considerable faunal diversity, including coyote and bison.
