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2014 Map of Cottonwood Reservoir

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Cottonwood Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

Cottonwood Reservoir serves as a central hydrological landmark in this Park County landscape, which is defined by a sophisticated system of irrigation and natural waterways. The southern reaches of the map show the settlement of Wilsall and the Wilsall Airport situated near the confluence of Flathead Cr and the Shields River. This area reveals the essential connection between the region's agricultural economy and its water management, visible through features like the Big Canal and Myers Ditch that draw from the river system.

Rising above the valley floor, the Kavanaugh Hills stand to the east, while Shields Canyon marks the southern terrain. A network of rural routes, including Jordan Bench Rd and Potter Creek Rd, provides access to the ranching country surrounding Potter Cr and Cottonwood Cr. The map illustrates a high-plains landscape where early 21st-century infrastructure remains centered on the life-giving flow of the mountain-fed tributaries.