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1986 Map of Pender Coulee

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of Pender Coulee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge dominates the landscape of the High Plains on the border of Fergus and Musselshell counties. This 1986 provisional survey details a hydrologically diverse environment defined by ephemeral drainages and intermittent water sources. At the center of the refuge, Miller Lake serves as a primary feature, fed and drained by a network of seasonal coulees and creeks.

The map documents a series of named watercourses, including Whoop-up Creek, Willow Creek, and Jones Creek, which carve through the prairie terrain. The presence of a Flowing well and Big Spring indicate the critical role of groundwater in this arid region. For local historians and land managers, the map provides a precise record of the land as it was managed for wildlife conservation in the mid-1980s, noting various Ditches and natural drainage patterns like Pender Coulee that define the local topography.