2011 Map of Cole

About this map

The settlement of Cole sits along a winding bend of the Milk River in this section of Phillips County, where the plains are defined by irrigation infrastructure and scattered homesteads. The landscape reflects a ranching economy, with family-named operations such as Mills Ranch, Martin's Ranch, and Birums Ranch distributed across the drainage basins of Whitewater Creek and Slinky Creek. Water management is central to the area's geography, evidenced by the Frenchman Irrigation Company Number 1 Dam and the Nelson South Canal in the south, which direct the flow of the river through this arid stretch of Montana. Smaller landmarks like Busche Spring, Luvel Spring, and Gertrude Dam highlight the vital importance of every water source in the coulee-broken terrain of the Hymer Coulee region.