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1956 Map of Rock Spring

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Rock Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Rock Spring serves as a central landmark in this 1956 mid-century survey of the Stillwater and Yellowstone county line. The landscape is defined by the broad drainage patterns of South Comanche Creek and Brown Creek as they cut through the high plains of the Lake Basin. In the southern portion of the map, the Northern Pacific railroad tracks parallel the edge of the basin floor, where the presence of the Melby Hangar suggests the integration of early aviation into this rural ranching environment.

Transportation history is visible through the Buffalo Trail and various unimproved roads connecting scattered water sources like Mud Springs and Lost Creek. Surveyors noted several high-elevation triangulation stations, including VABM 4289 Sweet and VABM 4187 Bitter, which provide vertical control across the rolling coulees. This map captures the transition of the Missouri River Basin development program, highlighting how essential water access and rail connectivity remained to the local economy during the 1950s.