1997 Map of Chimney Butte

About this map

Little Missouri National Grassland encompasses this corner of the Badlands, where the Little Missouri River carves a winding path through the North Dakota landscape. The map records a series of prominent cattle operations along the river valley, including the Custer Trail Ranch, Maltese Cross Ranch, and McCutchen Ranch. These ranch names represent a deep local history of settlement and land use in the river bottoms. The topography is dominated by iconic landmarks such as Chimney Butte and Sentinel Butte, while evidence of natural resource extraction appears in several Oil Well and Oil Wells locations scattered throughout the drainages. Smaller tributaries like Merrifield Creek, Davis Creek, and Coal Creek break the terrain into a network of draws and ridges. A localized Cem and isolated Grave sites provide specific points of interest for genealogists tracing early families in the region near the Golden Valley and Billings county line.