1951 Map of Sheep Mountain

About this map

Sheep Mountain and Tatman Mountain dominate this 1951 survey of the Big Horn Basin, where the high-elevation terrain is carved by a complex network of ephemeral drainage systems. The landscape is defined by the contrast between these prominent uplands and the intricate irrigation efforts found to the north, evidenced by the St Joe Canal. Water management is central to the era's geography, with small-scale improvements like Neres Reservoir and Dobson Pond scattered across the arid slopes. Numerous named drainages, including Dry Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Rock Waterhole Creek, illustrate the natural erosion patterns of the Wyoming badlands. This mapping, conducted for the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, provides a detailed view of the remote ranching and grazing lands between major settlements during the early postwar period.