1978 Map of Libby

About this map

The Kootenai River and the vast timberlands of the Kootenai National Forest dominate this landscape, which transitioned through the 1970s and 1980s as the Koocanusa Lake reservoir took shape behind the Libby Dam. The town of Libby serves as the central hub, supported by the Burlington Northern railroad and industries connected to the surrounding Cabinet Mountains. High-altitude mining operations such as the Snowstorm Mine and Montana Morning Mine sit deep in the range, while smaller settlements like Troy and White Haven are clustered along the river corridors and US Highway 2. To the south, the timber and mining economy yields to the water-rich Thompson Lakes region and the high peaks of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, where names like Granite Peak and Sawtooth Mtn mark the high divide between the Kootenai and Clark Fork watersheds.