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1966 Map of Cook Creek Reservoir

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Cook Creek Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Custer National Forest land dominates this high-plains landscape, where the boundary between Rosebud and Powder River Counties bisects a terrain defined by complex drainages and essential water improvements. Cattle ranching and land management are evident through the network of named reservoirs and wells, such as the Shy Reservoir and the Colbert Coulee Well, which provided vital resources for livestock in this semi-arid region.

The map details a geography of deep coulees and ridges, from Rice Coulee in the west to the slopes of Cook Mountain in the south. Named family and ranch landmarks like Bringoff and Houston Draw indicate early 20th-century settlement patterns. This 1966 survey records a working landscape of springs, including Cook Spring and Gentry Spring, illustrating how water sources dictated the placement of trails and early improvements across the Cook Creek watershed before later modernizations altered the backcountry infrastructure.