1920 Map of Gildford

About this map

The Milk River meanders across this northern Montana landscape, anchoring a region of prairie homesteads and rail-town development just south of the International Boundary Line. This military survey, compiled under Col. Chas. L. Potter, illustrates the early 20th-century reliance on the Great Northern Railroad, which connects the burgeoning settlements of Hingham and Gildford. North of the river, the map identifies small, isolated outposts like Lilacs, Simpson, and Fairchild, alongside family-named locales such as Pugsley & Simpson and Miller. The physical geography is defined by intermittent water sources and drainage patterns, including Sage Creek, Spring Coulee, and the expansive Dry Lake Bed, which were critical markers for travelers and settlers moving through the high plains before the widespread modernization of the road network.