1980 Map of Steamboat Butte

About this map

Steamboat Butte dominates the southern portion of this landscape, rising above a network of drainages that define the boundary between Musselshell County and Yellowstone County. The terrain is characterized by the complex branching of Hawk Creek and the Dry Fork Hawk Creek, which carve through the high plains of central Montana. This 1980 edition reveals a sparse but industrially active landscape, marked by numerous wells and a specific Drill Hole in the northwestern corner, indicating exploratory energy activity during the era. Small water sources like Shovel Creek and scattered springs provide the primary geographic landmarks in a region defined more by its geological contours and ranching potential than by concentrated settlement. The map serves as a precise record of late 20th-century land use where county lines and hydrological features were the most prominent markers of territory.