1956 Map of Mossmain

About this map

The confluence of the Yellowstone River and the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River dominates this landscape west of Billings, where irrigation and rail infrastructure define the agricultural economy. Centered on Mossmain, the map shows a vital transportation junction where the Northern Pacific, Chicago Burlington and Quincy, and Great Northern railroads converge. This 1956 survey, with 1969 revisions, documents a complex network of water management, including the Billings Bench Water Association Canal, Big Ditch, and Canyon Creek Ditch, which transformed the prairie into productive farmland. Smaller settlements like Hesper and Yegen appear alongside essential community landmarks such as the Elder Grove School. To the south, the terrain shifts away from the river valley into the broken ground marked by Duck Creek and the Duck Creek Telephone Line, illustrating the transition from the irrigated valley floor to the higher, arid ranching country.