2011 Map of Buffalo

About this map

Buffalo and the nearby settlement of Straw anchor this 2011 survey of Fergus County, Montana. The landscape is defined by the drainage network of Buffalo Creek and Ross Fork, with the West Buffalo Creek and Mud Creek systems cutting across the plains. These water sources historically dictated the location of early homesteads and small railroad stops in this agricultural region. Evidence of community life is found at the Buffalo Post Office and local burial sites including Buffalo Cemetery and Garneill Cemetery in the southern portion of the quadrangle. Smaller named locales such as McClave and Monk Coulee appear alongside infrastructure like the Bye-Bye Dam. The layout of local routes, such as Straw Rd and Buffalo Canyon Rd, reveals how the rural population centers were connected to larger markets and surrounding grazing lands.