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1960 Map of Shell

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Shell
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The small community of Shell serves as the focal point for this 1960 field-checked survey of Big Horn County, situated where the arid plains meet the foothills of the Bighorn National Forest. The landscape is defined by its sophisticated irrigation network, necessary for sustaining agriculture in this high-desert environment. Features such as the Shell High Line Canal, Kershner Ditch, and High Line Ditch demonstrate the engineering required to divert water from Shell Creek and Trapper Creek to local ranches and homesteads.

Genealogists and local historians will find significant value in the identification of specific family-named locales and crossroads, including Elkhorn Ranch, Flitners Corner, and Reeves Corner. The Shell Cem is clearly marked near the town center, providing a fixed point for family research. The terrain is further characterized by the dramatic erosion of Red Gulch and Douglas Draw, illustrating the geology of the Missouri River Basin development area during the mid-twentieth century.