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1962 Map of Rattlesnake Mountain

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Rattlesnake Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1992
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1992

About this map

Baldy Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain anchor this landscape in Lewis and Clark County, where the high terrain of the Big Belt range drops toward the Missouri River corridor. The map reveals a transition from the high-elevation peaks to the open expanses of Hilger Valley in the northeast. Land use in this era is defined by the cattle ranching and light extraction common to the region, evidenced by the Old Synnes Ranch and Old Thorne Ranch tucked into the lower basins.

Infrastructure improvements from the late 1970s are captured in purple, most notably the development of the Gates of the Mountains Interchange providing access to this wilderness. Water sources are critical in this environment, with features like Diamond Spring Gulch and Beartooth Creek draining the complex network of canyons, including McLeod Gulch and Rattlesnake Gulch. Small-scale resource exploration is visible at several prospect locations and a Gravel Pit near the valley floor.