Ottertail Range

Ottertail Range (82N)

The government 1:250,000 places the name "Ottertail Range" over a broad area that seems to be bounded by the Ottertail River to the northeast, the Beaverfoot river to the southwest, the Kicking Horse River to the northwest, and the Moose River to the southeast. This "range" does not seem to have the longitudinal trend that is generally associated with a mountain range. Rather it seems like a "group" of mountains.

George Dawson placed the name "Ottertail Mountains" on his 1886 map. Its placement suggests that Dr. Dawson was including the peaks between the Beaverfoot River and the Ice River in this group. Whether he meant the Goodsir Towers to be included in not known. It is not clear who changed the terminology from "Ottertail Mountains" to "Ottertail Range." Dawson clearly refers to a number of "ranges" on his map so he may not have felt that this group qualified as a range.