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1894 Map of Fort Custer

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Fort Custer
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1894
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1894

About this map

The Fort Custer Military Reservation and the sprawling Crow Indian Reservation dominate this late-nineteenth-century landscape at the confluence of two significant waterways. The Big Horn River carves a path through the terrain, meeting the Little Big Horn R. near the buildings of Fort Custer. To the northwest, the N. P. R. R. follows the river corridor, serving the Pompey Pillar Sta. and passing the landmark Pompey Pillar rock formation.

Evidence of early frontier infrastructure is scattered across the territory, from the Eighteen Mile Ranch in the north to the Nine Mile Water Hole in the central plateau. The topography is defined by the prominent Pine Ridge and numerous seasonal drainage features like Two Legging Creek and Williams Coulee. This survey documents a critical period of transition as military outposts and ranching interests established themselves within the designated reservation lands.