2017 Map of Smoky Butte

About this map

Smoky Butte rises above the glacial pothole landscape of the High Plains, serving as a prominent landmark in this sparsely settled corner of western North Dakota. The area is characterized by numerous small basins and intermittent wetlands, with Musta Lake and Holm Lake representing the most significant permanent water bodies. The section-line road grid, including 136th Ave and 83rd St NW, reflects the rigid geometry of the Public Land Survey System that organized the state’s agricultural expansion. Near the northern edge of the map, the Herman Cem stands as a quiet marker of the early homesteading families who attempted to farm this prairie. This 2017 data shows the landscape as it straddles the Divide and Williams County border, where the terrain transitions from open rangeland to the seasonal wetlands essential to the local ecosystem.