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1955 Map of Choteau

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Choteau
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The Continental Divide serves as the central spine for this 1950s survey, marking the dramatic transition from the high wilderness of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Scapegoat Wilderness to the eastern plains. On the western slope, the Flathead National Forest and Lolo National Forest cover a landscape of high peaks like McDonald Peak and significant water bodies including Swan Lake and Lindbergh Lake. Here, the timber and USFS presence at Condon define the local economy and geography.

East of the mountains, the terrain levels out into a region characterized by massive water management projects and agrarian settlements. Irrigation is central to the area around Choteau, visible through the Bynum Reservoir, Pishkun Reservoir, and Willow Creek Reservoir. Distinctive communal settlements like Miller Colony and Milford Colony appear on the plains, while the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad links the eastern towns. Strategic mountain crossings like Rogers Pass and Flesher Pass provide the only corridors through the formidable Sawtooth Range and Lewis and Clark Range.