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1952 Map of Eli Spring

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Eli Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Hans Peterson Flats dominates the southwestern portion of this 1952 topographic study, revealing a landscape defined by the drainage patterns of Horse Prairie Creek and Cedar Creek. The map captures Beaverhead County during a period of active resource extraction, evidenced by the Strip Mine located in the northern hills near Grasshopper Creek. These industrial markings contrast with the sparse residential footprints, such as Frenchie Place, which represents the isolated ranching and homesteading history of the Montana high country.

Elevations rise sharply toward Henneberry Ridge and the many unnamed gulches feeding into the main basins. Water sources like Eli Spring and several other mapped Springs were vital navigational and survival landmarks in this arid, high-elevation terrain. A network of primitive transport routes, including a Jeep Trail, provides evidence of mid-century movement across these difficult ridges and gulches like Madigan Gulch.