Loading map...

1968 Map of Box Canyon Coulee

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Box Canyon Coulee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Black Buttes dominates the southwestern landscape of this Rosebud County drainage basin, standing as a prominent landmark in a region defined by an intricate network of seasonal watercourses. The drainage patterns here are complex, with primary arteries like Sand Creek and Jack Creek collecting runoff from numerous named coulees that have carved into the terrain. Many of these features, such as Zumwalt Coulee, Hammerstrom Coulee, and Pennick Coulee, likely bear the names of early ranching families or homesteaders who settled this part of Montana.

While the area is largely characterized by open range and intermittent flow, the inclusion of the East Fork Reservoir in the northwest corner highlights the importance of water management in this arid environment. Scattered wells and the presence of Spring Coulee further illustrate the sparse but vital water sources required to sustain life and livestock across these sections. The map reveals a transition from higher ridges down toward the coulee floors, capturing the topography as it was field-checked in the late 1960s.