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1979 Map of Arrow Creek

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Arrow Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The Bad Lands dominate the northwestern corner of this landscape, where the terrain breaks sharply away from the elevated Arrow Creek Bench. This 1970s survey captures the intersection of Judith Basin and Fergus counties, a region defined by its wide plateaus and the deep incision of Arrow Creek and its tributaries. The settlement of Arrow Creek is situated along the tracks of the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad, which follows the natural contours of the creek valley to traverse the benchland.

Water sources are vital markers in this semi-arid environment, noted by several instances of Well, a Flowing Well, and a Spring. The map identifies the sparse but essential infrastructure of the era, including scattered Storage Bins, a Gravel Pit, and a lone Grave in the southeastern quadrant near Meadow Creek. These features illustrate a ranching and grain-growing economy reliant on the railroad for transport and the deeply carved coulees for drainage, such as Big Coulee and Coffee Creek.