1958 Map of Butte

About this map

The Continental Divide winds through this West-Central Montana landscape, marking a rugged transition between the mountain ranges and the industrial hubs of the late 1950s. Butte stands as the primary urban anchor, its footprint defined by intensive extraction efforts including an Open Pit Mine and the rail network of the Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific. To the west, the mining and smelting legacy continues in Anaconda, while the state capital of Helena lies to the northeast against the Elkhorn Mountains. This era reflects a landscape still heavily reliant on the rails of the Burlington Northern and the emerging Interstate 90 corridor. Between these centers, small settlements like Bearmouth, Goldcreek, and the Potomac Post Office represent the persistent rural and postal network of the high country, surrounded by the vast timberlands of the Lolo National Forest and Helena National Forest.