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2014 Map of Rice Reservoir

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Rice Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

Rice Reservoir and Birkeland Reservoir anchor this section of the Montana high plains, where the land is carved by a network of drainage features and intermittent watercourses. The terrain is defined by deep coulees, including the winding Short Coulee and Long Coulee, which disrupt the otherwise orderly grid of the Public Land Survey System. These natural draws dictate the paths of early travel routes and modern county roads alike.

Local transportation is represented by named thoroughfares such as Stageline Rd and Harris Cross Rd, which provide access to remote ranching and agricultural operations. The map highlights the transition between open range and managed water resources in Chouteau County, tracing the relationship between elevation and the seasonal flow through Bird Coulee and Ninemile Coulee. This survey captures the sparse, functional landscape of the region as it appeared in the early 21st century.