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1997 Map of Smeads Bench

Name: 1997 Topographic Map of Smeads Bench
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2000
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2000

About this map

The confluence of the Bull River and the Clark Fork dominates this landscape, where the waters are held by the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir. The map illustrates the administrative complexities of the late 20th century within the Kaniksu National Forest, showing how the rugged terrain of Pillick Ridge and Government Mountain hem in the river valleys.

Settlement is sparse and tied directly to the transport and management of the timberlands, marked by the Bull River Guard Station and the Noxon Siding along the rail corridor. Local landmarks like Chimney Rock and the namesake Smeads Bench provide specific points of interest for those tracing the history of this Sanders County region. The network of drainage gulches, such as Napoleon Gulch and Ellis Gulch, defines the steep verticality of the Cabinet Mountains before they descend toward the reservoir's edge at Triangle Pond.