1965 Map of Needle Butte

About this map

Needle Butte and Sunday Butte stand as prominent landmarks in this high-plains landscape where Rosebud and Garfield counties meet. The drainage pattern here is defined by deeply etched seasonal watercourses such as Lone Tree Creek and Bootjack Creek, which channel moisture through the broken terrain toward the South Sunday Creek basin. This 1965 survey illustrates the livestock-driven land use of the mid-20th century, where isolated water sources like Sweetser Spring and the Sunday Creek Reservoir were critical for ranching operations in this arid Montana environment.