1909 Map of Smoke Creek

About this map

Fort Peck Indian Reservation dominates this landscape, showing the open-range character of northeastern Montana at the turn of the century. The terrain is defined by a sparse network of natural water sources and early settlement markers. The West Ranch stands as a primary landmark in a region where survival depended on proximity to features like Smoke Creek and various unnamed springs. The map illustrates a transitional period in land management, where the General Land Office surveyed the vast topography before more intensive modern development. To the southeast, Manning Lake and a larger unnamed Lake provide rare geographic focal points in a territory characterized by complex drainage patterns and isolated ranching outposts.