Loading map...

1953 Map of Stranahan

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Stranahan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

Missouri River water levels and the winding curves of Churchill Bend define this section of Chouteau County during the mid-1950s. The northern edge of the map features the settlement of Stranahan, positioned near the Great Northern rail line as it follows the river's path. The landscape is deeply carved by drainage systems, notably Crow Coulee and Rowe Coulee, which cut through the high plains toward the river valley.

Evidence of a changing rural landscape is captured in the notation of several defunct local institutions, including the East Wayside School (Aban'd) and another unnamed School (Aban'd) near the river. These features, along with a remote Landing Strip and various wells, suggest a period of transition for the small farming and ranching outposts in this part of Montana as the Department of the Interior focused on the development of the Missouri River Basin.