1958 Map of Skunk Coulee

About this map

Fort Peck Reservoir dominates this 1958 topographic landscape, where the waters of the Missouri River meet the intricate breaks of Valley and Garfield Counties. Part of a Department of the Interior program for the development of the Missouri River Basin, this sheet documents the shoreline of the reservoir at a normal pool elevation of 2176 feet. The surrounding terrain is characterized by a series of parallel landforms including Second Ridge and Third Ridge, punctuated by deep incisions like Skunk Coulee and Third Coulee. To the north, drainage patterns from Mud Creek and the North Fork Duck Creek flow toward the rising water level. Much of the southern portion of the quadrangle is protected within the Fort Peck Game Range, showing the intersection of federal conservation efforts and large-scale water management in the mid-20th century Montana backcountry.