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1900 Map of Fort McKinney

Name: 1900 Topographic Map of Fort McKinney
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Buffalo serves as the primary hub on this 1900 survey of Johnson County, situated where the high plains meet the eastern foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. The map reveals a landscape defined by military and resource management at the turn of the century, dominated by the Fort Mc Kinney Military Reservation and the adjacent Wood Reservation. These large federal tracts preserved critical timber and strategic positions near the headwaters of Clear Creek.

Downstream from the mountains, the map documents early ranching history through specific homesteads like the T A Ranch, Cross H Ranch, and Hepp Ranch. In the north, Lake De Smet sits as a prominent landmark east of the Bighorn Forest Reservation. The intricate network of waterways, including the forks of Crazy Woman Creek, provided the essential irrigation and livestock water that supported small settlements such as Klondike and Trabing.