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1950 Map of Hebgen Dam

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Hebgen Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Hebgen Dam Spillway anchors the eastern edge of this landscape, where the waters of the Madison River are impounded against a backdrop of high mountain ranges. The map reveals a transition from the structured management of the Beaver Creek Ranger Station and various campgrounds like Rock Creek Campground to the high-elevation wilderness of the Madison National Forest. This 1950 field check captures the area just years before the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, showing the natural drainages of Lightning Creek and Wapiti Creek before the terrain was permanently altered.

Evidence of early ranching and light industry is scattered throughout the drainages, from the Oliffe Ranch and Shaw Ranch to the Asbestos Mine near the Idaho border. The high peaks, including Hilgard Peak and Sentinel Peak, are surrounded by dozens of small alpine basins like Sage Basin and Little Sunlight Basin, accessible only by a network of pack trails that connect the watersheds of the Missouri River Basin.