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1966 Map of Elk Basin NW

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Elk Basin NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The Silver Tip Oil Field dominates this high-plains landscape along the border of Montana and Wyoming. Mapped in the mid-1960s, the terrain is defined by a dense network of unimproved roads and numerous Drill Holes, signaling the intense energy exploration of the era. The land slopes sharply from the prominent Polecat Bench in the southeast, where seasonal drainages like Silver Tip Creek and the Big Sand Coulee have carved intricate coulees through the arid soil.

This survey captures a specific industrial moment before modern automation, showing the distribution of infrastructure across the Carbon and Park County lines. The lack of permanent residential settlements highlights the area's primary role as a resource extraction zone, where the geography was shaped more by the search for oil than by traditional town building. It is a revealing record for researchers of the American West’s mid-century petroleum development and the transformation of the Big Horn Basin.