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1960 Map of Bighorn

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Bighorn
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The confluence of the Yellowstone River and the Bighorn River defines the geography of this 1960 survey, a landscape deeply marked by its river-bottom agriculture and early frontier history. The Yellowstone Co Treasure Co boundary cuts across the terrain, where the historic Ft Pease (Site) sits at the northern edge of Pease Bottom. This site, once a precarious trading post in the 1870s, overlooks the broad river valley and the complex network of irrigation through Rancher Ditch.

The settlement of Bighorn serves as a central point along the Northern Pacific railroad, which follows the curve of the water through the valley floor. To the south, the terrain transitions into a series of deeply eroded coulees, including Petes Coulee and Unknown Coulee, while the low-lying Big Ox Bottom and Government Island illustrate the shifting nature of these major Montana waterways before modern alterations.