1954 Map of Lewistown

About this map

Lewistown serves as the central hub of this central Montana landscape, where the agricultural flats of the Judith Basin meet the dramatic rises of the South Moccasin Mts and North Moccasin Mts. The map reveals a mid-century transport network defined by the Burlington Northern and Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads, which linked small grain-handling settlements like Moccasin, Hobson, and Stanford. To the north and east, the terrain becomes increasingly complex as the Missouri River cuts through the plains, bordered by the expansive Charles M Russell National Wildlife Range. The northern edge is bounded by the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and the slopes of the Little Rocky Mountains. Notable landmarks such as Judith Peak and Black Butte punctuate the horizon, while isolated outposts like Valentine and Holland Ranch highlight the vast distances of the ranching frontier during this era of 1970s revision.