1951 Map of Mount Rae

About this map

The Gallatin National Forest dominates this early 1950s terrain, where the high ridges of the Boulder Divide separate the drainage of Little Mission Creek from the West Boulder River. This landscape captures a significant transition in land use within the Missouri River Basin development area. While the West Boulder Ranger Station and active cattle operations like the Bar Twenty Ranch and Burnt Leather Ranch suggest ongoing activity, the map is heavily marked by earlier efforts at settlement. Numerous sites are explicitly noted as abandoned, including the Bruffey Homestead, Swingley Ranch, and the Lamp Homestead. Even infrastructure follows this pattern, as seen with the West Boulder Ditch. The presence of the Gordon School among these former homesteads provides a genealogical anchor for families who once attempted to farm or ranch these mountain valleys.