1912 Map of Poplar

About this map

Poplar River flows southward through the heart of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to its confluence with the Missouri River in this 1912 topographic study. The settlement of Poplar serves as a primary hub along the Great Northern railroad, which traverses the landscape from east to west. South of the river, the terrain transitions into a complex system of drainages including Boxelder Cr, Glendive Creek, and Redwater Creek. The map documents a specific moment in the shifting political geography of the High Plains, capturing the Boundary Line between Valley and Dawson counties. Small railroad sidings and stops like Sprole and the vicinity of Arthur suggest the early twentieth-century reliance on the rail corridor for transport and communication across these expansive Montana benchlands.