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2011 Map of Kepple Bottoms

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Kepple Bottoms
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

The Missouri River winds through this Central Montana landscape, defining a series of alluvial flats and dramatic river bends. This 2011 survey documents the cattle-ranching geography of Fergus County, where large operations like Gar Ranch and Rindal Ranch neighbor the river's edge. The terrain is characterized by numerous "bottoms"—low-lying areas along the riverbanks such as Kepple Bottoms, Manning Bottoms, and Halpen Bottoms—that have long been vital for agricultural use and grazing in this semi-arid region.

Water management is evident through features like Rock Creek Reservoir and the Prairie Dog Dam in the southern reaches. Numerous coulees, including Wilder Coulee and Tomty Coulee, provide natural drainage toward the river. The presence of the Musshell Trl indicates a historical transportation route through the coulees, tracing the movements of earlier travelers and ranchers across the high plains north of the Musselshell River.