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1892 Map of Stillwater

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Stillwater
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1910
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1910

About this map

The Northern Pacific Railroad corridor follows the southern bank of the Yellowstone River in this late 19th-century survey of south-central Montana. The map documents a critical transition point where the Stillwater River joins the Yellowstone, a junction marked by the riverfront settlements of Merrill, Stillwater, and Bensons Bluff. To the south, the vast expanse of the Crow Indian Reservation dominates the landscape, defined by deeply incised drainages like Rosebud Creek and Shane Creek.

Irrigation and transport infrastructure of the era are clearly visible, including the Billings Ditch and a Ferry crossing near the Stillwater River confluence. To the north, the terrain shifts into the higher elevations of the Lake Basin, a plateau region contrasted by the steep breaks of Countrymans Bluff. This topographic study by Frank Tweedy and Jeremiah Ahern captures the early ranching and rail era before the expansion of modern irrigation and larger township development.