1951 Map of Bear Mountain

About this map

Bear Mountain serves as the central landmark for this upland territory along the boundary of Natrona Co Carbon Co. Mapped in the early 1950s for the Missouri River Basin development program, the landscape is defined by the complex drainage systems of Bear Creek and Bolton Creek. The rugged relief is evident in the converging tributaries of East Fork and West Fork Bear Creek, while the southern reaches are dissected by the North Fork Canyon Creek and South Fork Canyon Creek. The primary corridor through this high-country terrain is Bolton Road, which provides a rare point of human navigation through an otherwise largely unsettled expanse of drainages and ridges. Researchers will find the map captures a specific moment in Wyoming's resource planning, documenting the natural hydrology of Elk Creek and its surroundings before mid-century land-use changes.