1963 Map of Bowmans Corners NW

About this map

The Montana ranching landscape of the early 1960s is clearly defined here through its essential water-management infrastructure. Named cattle operations such as Shortridge Ranch and Hitchcock Ranch rely on a network of gravity-fed irrigation systems, including the prominent Bee Ditch and the Bickle Burke Ditch that traverse the terrain. These man-made channels contrast with natural drainages like Dry Creek and the North Fork Simms Creek, illustrating the efforts required to sustain livestock and agriculture in this region of Lewis and Clark County.