Big Spring Creek (Montana)

For other uses, see Big Spring Creek.
Big Spring Creek
Big Spring Branch
Big Spring Fork of the Judith River
East Fork Big Spring Creek
Source of Big Spring Creek
Big Spring Creek (Montana) is located in Montana
Big Spring Creek (Montana)
Location of mouth
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
DistrictFergus County, Montana
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Judith River
 • coordinates
47°12′11″N 109°38′29″W / 47.20306°N 109.64139°W / 47.20306; -109.64139 (Big Spring Creek)[1]
 • elevation
3,379 ft (1,030 m)
Length30 mi (48 km)
Discharge 
 • locationnear Lewistown
 • average183 cu ft/s (5.2 m3/s)[2]

Big Spring Creek (Gros Ventre: ʔinííθɔ́ɔwuh, lit. 'warm water'[3]) is a tributary of the Judith River in Fergus County, Montana near Lewistown, Montana. The creek originates from a first magnitude artesian spring approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Lewistown and flows north, northwest for 30 miles (48 km)[4] to its confluence with the Judith River.[5] The spring is one of the largest in the world flowing at approximately 50,000 to 64,000 US gallons (190,000 to 240,000 L) per minute[6] out of the Madison-Limestone formation in the foothills of the Big Snowy Mountains. The creek flows through and under the town of Lewistown. For three blocks spanning Main Street, the creek runs underneath the town in a man-made channel that was created as the town was built over the creek.[7] The spring provides Lewistown's water supply, which requires no treatment for use by consumers.

  1. ^ "Big Spring Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "USGS Surface Water data for Montana: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
  3. ^ Cowell, A.; Taylor, A.; Brockie, T. (2016). "Gros Ventre ethnogeography and place names: A diachronic perspective". Anthropological Linguistics. 58 (2): 132–170. doi:10.1353/anl.2016.0025. S2CID 151520012.
  4. ^ "Montana Fisheries Information System-Big Spring Creek". Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  5. ^ "Montana Fly Fishing in Big Spring Creek". www.enjoylewistown.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  6. ^ Thomas, E. Donnall (2001). "Big Spring Creek-Prairie Jewel". In Jones, Allen Morris; Wetmore, Jeff (eds.). Flylines-The Best of Big Sky Journal Fishing. Bozeman, Montana: Bangtail Press. pp. 136–144. ISBN 0965333655.
  7. ^ Oehlet, Kara; Heppermann, Ann (October 17, 2009). "A Thrill Ride Lies Under A Montana Main Street". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-06-10.