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1957 Map of Cedar Ridge

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Cedar Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

Signal Hill and the prominent Cedar Ridge dominate this corner of northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana during the late 1950s. The landscape is defined by the headwaters of the Little Missouri River and the North Fork Little Missouri River, where a network of draws and prongs like Cottonwood Draw and Mitten Prong carve through the high plains. This was a sparsely settled ranching and resource-extraction landscape, characterized by isolated holdings such as Leonard Ranch, Linch Ranch, and Pierce Ranch.

Evidence of local community life is found in the distribution of rural schoolhouses, including Hulett Creek Sch, Thompson Creek Sch, and Storm Sch. Industrial activity is marked by the Hottentake Mines and scattered Oil Well and Gravel Pit labels, indicating the early stages of energy and mineral development in the region. The map also captures infrastructure like an Artesian Well and a primary Pipeline corridor, essential for sustaining life and industry in this arid high-country environment.