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1971 Map of Ester Lake

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Ester Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation Boundary cuts a distinct north-south line through this high-plains landscape, separating reservation lands from the surrounding ranchlands of Phillips County. The terrain is defined by a series of intermittent drainages and coulees, including Sage Hen Coulee and Spring Coulee, which carve through the plateau. Central to the sheet is the eponymous Ester Lake, a localized water feature in an otherwise arid expanse.

Evidence of the cattle ranching economy is visible in the network of unimproved roads and fence lines that crisscross Parrot Flat and the valleys of Big Warm Creek and Little Warm Creek. The sparse nature of named features reflects the open-range character of the region during the early 1970s, where movement was dictated by the topography of the creeks and the seasonal availability of water at various unnamed springs.