1957 Map of Lone Indian Butte

About this map

Lone Indian Butte stands as the primary landmark in this section of Sweet Grass County, where the high plains break into a complex system of drainage and erosion. Surveyed in the late 1950s as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin project, the landscape is defined by the Sweet Grass Creek watershed and its numerous tributaries. Deeply carved coulees and gulches like Fahlgren and Norman Gulch illustrate the rugged topography characteristic of this part of Montana. The map also records distinctive topographic features such as the twin peaks of Squaw Teats and the broad depressions of Shanks Basin. Historically significant markers include the Base Line and several triangulation stations, including VABM Grey 5088 and VABM Lone Indian 5187, which provided the essential control points for this mid-century topographic study.