1984 Map of Button Butte

About this map

Button Butte rises as the primary landmark in this drainage-heavy landscape within Phillips County, surveyed in the late 1970s. The terrain is defined by a dense network of coulees and creeks that feed into the large Nelson Reservoir in the east. The map records the local water management and ranching infrastructure of the era, most notably the Rock Dam located along Beaver Creek. To the west, the winding path of Big Warm Creek cuts through the topography, joined by smaller systems like Nelson Coulee and White Rock Coulee. This provisional survey preserves the precise contours of the Montana breaks before modern modifications, showing a landscape where water sources and high points like the butte dictated the movement and settlement of the region.