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1953 Map of Rocky Lake

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Rocky Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Elim School and other rural cornerstones define this 1950s landscape in Chouteau County, where the plains of north-central Montana meet the deep incisions of the Missouri River. The territory is marked by a network of drainage channels including Smith Coulee and Foucher Coulee, illustrating the complex erosion patterns common to the Missouri River Basin.

Settlement patterns in this era were largely agrarian, supported by a system of schools like Ridge School and Harwood School that served the surrounding homesteads. Notable landmarks such as Round Top and Shaws Peak provided essential orientation in the open terrain, while the presence of Rocky Lake and numerous wells indicates the critical importance of water management in this environment. A specific note on Barrel Spring (Polluted) offers a grounded detail of the local water conditions encountered during the survey.