1968 Map of Blacktail

About this map

Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest meet along the high spine of the Continental Divide in this late 1960s topographic study. The landscape is defined by the critical transportation corridor of the Theodore Roosevelt Stevens John Pass, where the Burlington Northern railroad winds through the canyon alongside Bear Creek. Evidence of the harsh alpine environment and the infrastructure required to manage it is visible in the series of snowsheds protecting the tracks and the presence of the Fielding Patrol Cabin and Fielding Guard Sta. To the north, the terrain rises toward Brave Dog Mountain and Sheep Mountain, while to the south, the Giefer Twentyfive Mile Creek Trail leads into the dense forest. This map documents a period when these mountain passes remained vital links for transcontinental rail traffic, even as they served as gateways for wilderness recreation.