1960 Map of Banner Mtn

About this map

Medicine Bow National Forest dominates the southern reaches of this landscape, where the rugged terrain of Banner Mountain and Hess Hill meets the drainages of Deer Creek. The map documents a sparsely settled ranching region straddling the boundary between Natrona and Converse counties in the early 1960s. Family-named outposts and operations such as Smith Ranch, Rissler Ranch, and Davis Ranch are linked by primitive routes like Negro Creek Road and Skeen Road. The presence of the Banner Landing Strip near Banner Ranch suggests the logistical reliance on aviation in these isolated Wyoming highlands. Water management for livestock and homesteading is evident through features like Rissler Reservoir and McDonald Reservoir, situated near the confluence of canyon draws and seasonal creeks.