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1979 Map of Mills Creek East

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Mills Creek East
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Powder River meanders across the northeast corner of this Eastern Montana landscape, defining a wide valley of riparian vegetation and shifting sandbars. This late-1970s survey captures a sparsely settled cattle-ranching region centered around the small locality of Shaw. The terrain is deeply incised by a complex network of seasonal drainages, including the oddly named Third Ash Creek, Dead Horse Creek, and Mills Creek, which likely reflect the early naming conventions of local homesteaders and ranchers.

Water management is the primary sign of human development here, seen in the isolated Jones Reservoir and numerous scattered springs and wells essential for livestock in Custer County's semi-arid environment. The presence of unnamed ranch structures and unimproved roads connecting these water sources suggests a landscape where the rhythm of life is dictated by the geography of the creek beds like Smith Creek and Nichols Creek.