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1962 Map of Choteau

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Choteau
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

The Continental Divide zigzags through this mid-century landscape, separating the high peaks of the Lewis and Clark Range from the ranching country to the east. In the early 1960s, the town of Choteau serves as a regional hub where the Great Northern rail line terminates, supporting a series of agricultural settlements including Bynum, Farmington, and Augusta. This era shows a heavily managed water system essential for the eastern plains, with the Gibson, Pishkun, and Bynum reservoirs capturing mountain runoff for irrigation.

West of the divide, the terrain transitions into the dense timberlands of the Flathead National Forest and Swan River State Forest. The Flathead and Blackfoot river systems define the drainage patterns here, with recreation and resource extraction centers like Seeley Lake and Ovando established along early mountain highways. The presence of the Flathead Indian Reservation in the southwest corner further underscores the complex jurisdictional landscape of the Rocky Mountain Front.