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1897 Map of Fort Benton

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Fort Benton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1897
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1897

About this map

Fort Benton stands as the primary hub of this northern plains landscape, situated at a strategic bend where the Great Northern R. R. meets the Missouri River. The territory transitions from river breaks and coulees into the prominent elevations of the Highwood Mountains and the northern edge of the Little Belt Mountains. The survey reveals a network of emerging agricultural and mining-related settlements, such as Stanford, Armington, and Grafton, connected by stage routes and early rail lines.

Distinctive topographical landmarks like Square Butte, Palisade Butte, and Highwood Peak dominate the skyline, while numerous small lakes like Shonkin Lake and Mallard Lake dot the prairies. Genealogists and local historians can trace early property proximities along watercourses like Belt Creek and Arrow Creek, or follow the high-altitude landmarks of Barker Mtn and Mixes Baldy that defined the limits of Chouteau, Cascade, and Fergus counties during this late nineteenth-century period of development.