1950 Map of Canyon Ferry

About this map

The Missouri River corridor undergoes a major transformation on this mid-century survey, which documents the proposed Lake Sewell Reservoir area at the boundary of Lewis and Clark and Broadwater Counties. The map captures a landscape in transition as the New Canyon Ferry Dam is sited near the original Canyon Ferry Dam, an engineering shift that would eventually alter the valley floor. To the east, the Big Belt Mountains rise sharply, dissected by numerous drainages like Hellgate Gulch and Avalanche Gulch. Historic mining activity is evident at the Argo Mine and various unnamed mine shafts near the settlement of York. In the southern reaches, the Spokane Ditch and the Northern Pacific railroad line skirt the Spokane Hills, serving the agricultural and industrial needs of the region during this era of federal river basin development.