1957 Map of Hardin

About this map

The National Cemetery and Custer Battlefield Monument stands as a central historical landmark on this mid-century survey of southeastern Montana. The landscape is dominated by the vast territories of the Crow Indian Reservation and the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, where the drainage of the Bighorn River, Little Bighorn River, and Tongue River dictate the patterns of settlement. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy RR provides a critical transport spine, connecting communities like Hardin, Lodge Grass, and Wyola. Beyond the river valleys, the terrain rises into the Wolf Mountains and Pine Ridge, showcasing the complex topography of the Custer National Forest. Small ranching and tribal outposts such as Birney, Busby, and St. Xavier are documented during a period of established reservation life and emerging water management, visible at the Lodge Grass Storage Reservoir.