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1997 Map of Noble Peak

Name: 1997 Topographic Map of Noble Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2002
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2002

About this map

The Tobacco Root Mountains dominate this high-altitude landscape in the late 1990s, where the extraction history of Madison County is etched into the terrain. Mining operations and prospects are scattered throughout the peaks, from the Bismarck Mine near the Bismarck Reservoir to the Lakeshore Mine tucked below Lakeshore Mountain. The small settlement of Leiterville sits on the western edge, serving as a rare point of human habitation among the numerous glacial lakes like Noble Lake and Sunrise Lake.

Evidence of historical prospecting is visible through numerous adits and shafts, particularly around Mount Jackson and Spuhler Peak. The map illustrates the dual management of the land by the Deerlodge National Forest and Beaverhead National Forest, which maintain access via routes like the Lost Cabin Lake Trail. This era of the Tobacco Roots shows a transition from active hard-rock mining to a landscape primarily managed for recreation and resource conservation.