1984 Map of Shambo NE

About this map

The high-plains landscape along the border of Hill and Blaine counties is defined by a network of drainage channels and prominent elevations. Squaw Butte rises as a central landmark in this territory, overlooking the divergent paths of Bullhook Creek to the west and Boxelder Creek to the east. These waterways, including Little Boxelder Creek, suggest a landscape shaped by seasonal runoff and cattle ranching, where water sources dictated the movement of early homesteaders and livestock in this portion of north-central Montana. Sparse ranch roads and trails navigate between deep coulees like Staten Coulee and Spring Coulee, illustrating the difficulty of traversing this broken terrain in the mid-1980s. This survey, based on field work updated through 1984, preserves the specific ranching infrastructure and topographic details of the Montana grasslands before modern changes.