1953 Map of Lonetree Coulee

About this map

The Missouri River winds through the southwestern corner of this Chouteau County landscape, anchoring a complex network of dry coulees and seasonal creeks. Surveyed as part of a mid-century development program for the Missouri River Basin, the map documents a transition from the riverbanks to the high plains. Evidence of early rural education is preserved at the site of the Lonetree Sch (Aband), reflecting the shifting population patterns of Montana's ranching country in the early 1950s. The terrain is deeply incised by watercourses such as Lonetree Coulee, Alkali Coulee, and Crooked Coulee, which flow toward the larger drainage of Big Sandy Creek and Little Sandy Creek. A solitary Gravel Pit and the high point at VABM Notch stand as markers of human activity and topographical survey in this sparsely settled region.