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1906 Map of Lonesome

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Lonesome
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

Lonesome Prairie stretches across this north-central Montana landscape, documented by topographer Wm. Stranahan just after the turn of the century. The terrain is defined by a series of deep drainage channels, including Sixmile Coulee, Twelvemile Coulee, and Fourteenmile Coulee, which carve through the high plains toward the southern reaches of the map. This era of settlement is sparsely represented, anchored primarily by Godfrey's Ranch, located near the center of the sheet.

The boundary between Hill Co and Chouteau Co bisects the northern section of the survey, marking the administrative divisions of the Big Sky country during the early 1900s. Occasional water sources, such as a mapped Well, suggest the critical importance of water management for livestock and homesteading in this arid environment. The map captures the vast, open character of the region before more intensive development altered the rural ranching patterns established by early settlers.