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1953 Map of Miles City

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Miles City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Yellowstone River and Powder River converge in this eastern Montana landscape, anchoring a region defined by its critical rail and highway corridors during the mid-20th century. Major transportation arteries like U S Highway 10 and U S Highway 12 follow the river valleys, connecting hubs like Miles City and Terry. The map captures the industrial and agricultural infrastructure of the era, from the Refinery at Baker to various gravel pits and a power substation that powered these growing prairie communities.

Away from the river bottoms, the terrain rises toward distinct landmarks such as Signal Butte and Little Sheep Mountain. The survey preserves the locations of isolated rural outposts like Red Hill School and the tiny settlements of Zero, Kinsey, and Willard. These details, alongside the routes of the Burlington Northern and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads, document a period when steam and steel still shaped the movement of goods across the Montana and North Dakota borderlands.