2020 Map of Dry Coulee

About this map

Fort Peck Lake dominates this central Montana landscape, where the waters of the Missouri River reservoir separate Phillips and Petroleum counties. The surrounding badlands are defined by a network of drainage features like Nichols Coulee and Garrit Schoolhouse Coulee, suggesting the agricultural and educational history of early ranching families. Significant evidence of historical transit remains visible through the Old Musselshell Trl, which winds across the southern plateaus near Fisher Coulee and Spring Coulee. High ground is marked by C K Ridge, providing a vantage point over the complex system of coulees and upland water sources like Big Rock Reservoir and Timber Pit Reservoir. This map reflects a remote ranching territory where the topography dictated both movement and settlement patterns along the breaks of the lake.