2011 Map of Bear Jaw Creek

About this map

The Powder River carves through this corner of Custer County, defining a landscape shaped by seasonal water management and ranching infrastructure. Numerous drainages such as Kitty Spring Creek and Ash Creek feed into the larger river system, while the presence of the Bear Jaw Windmill and several modest reservoirs highlights the necessity of water collection in this semi-arid environment. The names attached to local features, such as Willie Reservoir, Leidholt Reservoir Dam, and the E Hardy Number 2 Dam, suggest a history of family-owned ranching operations and localized land improvements. Moving south, Morgan Creek Reservoir and the winding Monarch Creek illustrate the complex network of intermittent streams that define the local topography. This document provides a record of land use at the start of the 2010s, showing the specific locations of dams and named water sources critical to the local economy.