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1954 Map of Otter Creek School

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Otter Creek School
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Large cattle ranches and family homesteads dominate this landscape in Sweet Grass County, where the plains meet the foothills along the Big Timber Creek drainage. The map reveals a community organized around rural social centers like the Community Hall and a network of one-room schoolhouses, including Glasston Sch, Wormser Sch, and Wild Rose Sch. These small educational outposts were essential for the children of ranching families such as the J McCormick and Kortum clans.

Water management is central to life here, evidenced by the elaborate irrigation networks like Rudd Ditch and the Lavold Reservoir that divert flows from Tenmile Creek and Sevenmile Creek. The presence of the Mattice Homestead and the Rifle Club Firing Range provides a specific look at local land use and recreational habits during the mid-1950s. The terrain is deeply grooved by drainages like Long Gulch and Nash Gulch, defining the boundaries between these isolated high-plains operations.