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1938 Map of Chief Mountain

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Chief Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Lake McDonald and the towering heights of the Lewis Range dominate this landscape, which spans the international United States-Dominion of Canada boundary. Surveyed at the turn of the century and revised just before the Second World War, the map illustrates the early infrastructure of the national park era. The newly constructed Going-to-the-Sun Highway winds through the center of the sheet, providing access to the interior past landmarks like McDonald Falls and Hidden Lake.

Local settlement and management are concentrated at points like Apgar, Kellys Camp, and the Goat Haunt Ranger Sta. on the southern tip of Waterton Lake. Along the eastern edge, the topography softens into the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, marked by the Blackfeet Highway and the iconic silhouette of Chief Mtn.. This era represents a transition from pure wilderness to an accessible park system, evidenced by the network of ranger stations and established camps set against the massive backdrop of the Continental Divide.