1965 Map of Sheep Coulee Spring

About this map

Sheep Coulee Spring sits at the heart of this high-plains landscape in Chouteau County, serving as a vital water source for the surrounding dry grasslands. The terrain is defined by deep, winding drainage patterns including Sheep Coulee and Wolf Coulee, which cut through the level benchland. These natural features dictated the early movement of livestock and travelers through this part of north-central Montana. By the 1960s, modern utility infrastructure arrived in the form of a major north-south Pipeline and an east-west Trans Line, marking the transition from a purely agricultural range to a corridor for regional energy and power transport. The map's detail reveals how these industrial lines negotiate the irregular topography of the coulees while bypassing the older, established water points.