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2024 Map of Dudley Spring

Name: 2024 Topographic Map of Dudley Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2024
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2024

About this map

Dudley Spring sits at the heart of this landscape, marking a vital water source in the high plains of southern Montana. The area is defined by a dense network of coulees—deep, dry streambeds that carve the terrain and reveal the drainage patterns of the Big Horn and Treasure county border. Notable names like Horse Pasture Coulee, Summer Springs Coulee, and Rough Springs Coulee suggest a history of seasonal ranching and the critical importance of finding reliable water for livestock in this semi-arid environment.

Waterways such as North Fork Pocket Creek and South Fork Cottonwood Creek dissect the southern reaches, while the curiously named Fountain of Youth Coulee and Poverty Flats offer a glimpse into the local nomenclature of the region. The map captures a largely open, high-altitude landscape where the survival of early settlements and grazing operations relied entirely on the localized hydrology of the coulees and springs.