1956 Map of Cooke City

Hydrological and administrative footprints are equally prominent, with the Cooke Ranger Sta and Big Park Guard Station managing the overlaps between the Custer National Forest, Gallatin National Forest, and Shoshone National Forest. Water resources are captured in high basins like Mystic Lake and Island Lake, while the headwaters of the Stillwater River and Clarks Fork Yellowstone River carve through the deep glacial valleys. This survey captures a moment when traditional mining was still a visible presence alongside the early infrastructure of wilderness management.