1965 Map of Blue Buttes SE

About this map

The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation Boundary cuts through the eastern portion of this McKenzie County landscape, marking a significant legal and cultural division across the undulating North Dakota terrain. Surveyed in the mid-1960s, the map reveals a sparsely populated ranching and grazing region where topographic features like Blue Buttes and Aura Butte dominate the horizon. Water sources are primarily intermittent, defined by the winding paths of Dry Creek and Bear Creek, which drain toward larger coulees. Evidence of local industry and geology appears at the Scoria Pit, a common feature in this part of the state where baked clay is extracted for road surfacing. The map also identifies local landmarks such as Handy Walker and Foreman Coulee, alongside numerous fence and field lines that trace the patterns of land use and property divisions during this era.