Loading map...

1956 Map of Comanche

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Comanche
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Great Northern railroad cuts through the northeastern corner of this landscape, anchoring the small settlement of Comanche during the mid-1950s. This region of Yellowstone County is defined by a series of named ranching homesteads, including Heiken Ranch, Ballard Ranch, and Popelka Ranch, which are distributed across a varied terrain of coulees and high plains. The map reflects a rural community infrastructure centered around the Pleasant Valley Sch and the Comanche Cem, serving the families who managed these sprawling operations.

Water sources like Twin Lakes and seasonal drainages such as Difficulty Creek and Brown Creek were critical for sustaining livestock in the wide Comanche Basin. To the south, the land becomes more broken and complex near the topographic depression known as Devils Hole. This survey provides a precise look at the land use and property divisions before modern agricultural shifts, documenting the exact placement of ranch houses and local landmarks that shaped the local identity of the Montana high country.