1963 Map of Gorham SW

About this map

Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park anchors the southwestern corner of this Billings County landscape, where the badlands topography begins to transition into the drainage basins of the Missouri River system. The 1961 aerial photography reveals a sparsely populated ranching territory defined by deep coulees and draws, such as Ash Coulee and Dawsons Waterhole Draw. Education in this remote stretch was centered at the Stevens Sch, while local industry and road materials were sourced from the Scoria Pit. The intricate water network, including Franks Creek, Wolf Creek, and Government Creek, dictates the placement of the unimproved dirt tracks and section lines that cross the high plateaus between the breaks. This survey captures the rural infrastructure of western North Dakota before significant modern development, showing the original boundaries of the memorial park and the isolated homesteads typical of the era.