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1937 Map of Lake Frances

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of Lake Frances
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation occupies much of this Montana landscape, where the deeply incised Two Medicine River and Birch Creek carve through the plains. The town of Valier sits on the eastern shore of Lake Frances, serving as a hub for the surrounding ranching and irrigation operations. A network of canals and ditches, including the Fisher Canal and Lauffer Ditch, illustrates the massive effort to water this arid region.

Resource extraction and community infrastructure are visible through the cluster of coal workings like the Kingston Mine and Kennedy Mine near the river. Rural life is anchored by numerous family outposts such as Wagner Ranch and Kuka Ranch, alongside local schoolhouses like Mountain View Sch and Highland Sch. The Presence of the State Fish Hatchery and a Landing Field near the lake indicates the developing diverse utility of the area during the 1930s.