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1951 Map of Mount Rae

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Mount Rae
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

High-country homesteads and early ranching operations characterize this 1951 survey of the West Boulder River corridor within the West Gallatin National Forest. The map documents a landscape in transition, where numerous family-named sites like the Bruffey Homestead and Swingley Ranch are already marked as abandoned, suggesting the difficulty of sustained high-altitude agriculture in the early 20th century.

Central to the local community is the Gordon School, positioned near the Boulder Divide. The irrigation infrastructure of the era is evident in the Boulder Ditch, which follows the river's eastern bank near the Bar Twenty Ranch. From the high peaks of Shell Mountain and Mount Rae down to the West Boulder Meadows, the map provides a precise record of the trails, springs, and small water bodies like Redfield Lake and the Lost Lakes that defined this pocket of Park County.