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1965 Map of Chain Buttes

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Chain Buttes
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The Missouri River corridor in Central Montana is dominated by the sprawling waters of the Fort Peck Reservoir in this mid-1960s topographical study. Spanning the boundary between Phillips and Petroleum counties, the landscape is defined by the high, broken ridges of the Chain Buttes and the protected lands of the Charles M Russell National Wildlife Range. The map documents a rugged drainage system where numerous coulees, such as Garden Coulee and Carpenter Coulee, carve through the badlands toward the river valley.

Water management and conservation are central themes, evident in the presence of the Headman-Field Reservoir and smaller tributaries like Beauchamp Creek and Healey Creek. The absence of formal town sites reflects the area's isolation, serving instead as a record of the complex topography and shoreline formed by the reservoir's normal pool elevation of 2246 feet. This survey provides an essential view of the Missouri River Basin during a period of federal land management and wildlife preservation efforts.