2011 Map of Putnam Lake

About this map

Putnam Lake and its surrounding high plains landscape in Blaine County define this northern Montana survey. The terrain is marked by significant topographic shifts, most notably at Haystack Butte and the elongated Putnam Ridge to the south. Water management in this semi-arid region is evident through the placement of the Tiger Number 2 Dam and the curiously named Olive Oil Dam, both of which capture seasonal flows in a network of drainage ways. The hydrology is further shaped by Suction Creek and Myrtle Creek, which meander across the prairie. Long, straight rural routes like Barney Olson Rd and Sand Cliff Rd provide the primary access to these remote ranching or agricultural lands, illustrating the vast, open-space settlement patterns of the 21st-century West.