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1956 Map of Cooke City

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Cooke City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

High-altitude mining operations define the landscape surrounding Cooke City in the mid-1950s, where the extraction of precious metals has left a distinct mark on the Beartooth Mountains. Numerous workings like the Glengarry Mines, Irma Mines, and the Bull of the Woods Mine are clustered near the Montana-Wyoming border, signaling the area's long reliance on hard-rock mining. The topography is dominated by massive peaks and glacial features, including the state's highest point at Granite Peak and the sprawling Granite Glacier.

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.