Loading map...

1957 Map of Scott Peak

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Scott Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Continental Divide forms a high-altitude spine across this section of the Beaverhead Mountains, marking the rugged boundary between Idaho and Montana in the late 1950s. The landscape is defined by massive peaks, including Scott Peak and Webber Peak, and is bisected by the Birch Creek Valley to the southwest. Human activity is concentrated in pockets of industry and transit, such as the prospect near Smelter Gulch and the high mountain crossing at Bannack Pass.

Small settlements like Nicholia and Reno anchor the lower elevations, where a local cemetery and various jeep trails suggest a history of mining and ranching. The presence of Cow Camp and names like Italian Canyon and Irish Canyon point to the diverse range of early laborers and stockmen who utilized these high pastures within the Beaverhead National Forest. This survey captures the area just as aerial photography was beginning to refine the mapping of these remote summits and deep drainages.