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1962 Map of Blue Grass Ridge

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Blue Grass Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Smith Valley serves as a focal point for this Flathead County landscape, where agriculture and forestry meet at the base of Blue Grass Ridge. The map documents a community defined by family-run operations, notably the Kienas Ranch, Glazier Ranch, and Danielson Ranch. This pattern of rural settlement is further evidenced by the presence of local institutions like the Stillwater Grange and the Spring Creek Cem, reflecting a self-contained local economy just west of Kalispell.

Water management and natural resources are central to the terrain, with Ashley Creek winding toward Smith Lake and several irrigation ditches cutting through the valley floor. To the north and west, the timberlands of the Stillwater State Forest and Flathead National Forest dominate the higher elevations. The transition from the rugged draws like Dern Draw to the productive lowlands near Batavia Sch captures the region's character during the early 1960s, prior to later suburban expansion.