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1950 Map of Clark

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Clark
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Clarks Fork Yellowstone River carves a central path through this Wyoming-Montana borderlands landscape, defining a valley where early ranching and petroleum interests intersected. Agriculture is represented by numerous named holdings such as Gruenig Ranch, Forsman Ranch, and Johnson Ranch, many of which relied on irrigation ditches drawing from the river and its tributaries. Local civic life is anchored at the Clark Sch and the nearby Clark Cem, while more remote education was provided by the Pioneer Sch and Paint Creek School.

Industrial development is centered at Badger Basin, where the Badger Basin Refinery, oil wells, and storage tanks signify the mid-century energy economy. The topography shifts dramatically from the flat expanse of Chapman Bench and Kimball Bench to the eroded textures of the Badland Hills. This survey documents a working frontier where natural resource extraction and traditional homesteading existed side-by-side during the early 1950s.