1981 Map of Bracket Butte

About this map

Custer and Fallon counties meet in this high plains landscape dominated by the namesake Bracket Butte. The map documents a rural ranching environment defined by wide drainage networks including Ash Creek and the divergent branches of the North Fork and South Fork Cottonwood Creek. Local communal life is centered around the Cottonwood School and the nearby Cottonwood Cemetery, which provide critical reference points for genealogists researching families from this portion of eastern Montana. The presence of isolated landmarks like Mc Kee Well reflects the essential infrastructure required for livestock operations in this arid region, where water sources like Station Creek and Spring Creek dictated the placement of early improvements and boundary lines.