1961 Map of Roberts Mountain

About this map

Ranching life and high-elevation terrain define this 1961 study of Lewis and Clark County, Montana. The map documents a landscape of scattered homesteads and family holdings, including the B Hicks Ranch, Johnson Homestead, and Garrow Ranch, positioned along the drainage basins of Wolf Creek and Rattlesnake Creek. The geography is dominated by a series of significant peaks and ridges such as Roberts Mountain, Lannigan Mountain, and the massive geological formation known as The Reef to the north. Evidence of mineral exploration appears at the Rosetta Mine near the headwaters of Carter Creek. Transportation is largely restricted to the Stearns Wolf Creek Road, which winds through the mountain passes to connect these isolated settlements. This survey provides a rare look at the mid-century spatial distribution of these ranching outposts before later consolidation changed the rural mountain character.