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1965 Map of Stratton Reservoir

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Stratton Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

The Sun Prairie Flats define this section of Phillips County, Montana, where a complex network of man-made water management features supported the rangelands of the Missouri River Basin. The landscape is marked by numerous named impoundments, including Stratton Reservoir, King Reservoir, and Skull Reservoir, which suggest a concerted effort to manage seasonal runoff in a semi-arid environment. These reservoirs, alongside drainage systems like Second Coulee Creek and Telegraph Creek, provided the essential water infrastructure for local ranching operations.

Evidence of a dispersed but organized rural community is anchored by the First Creek Community Center in the north, serving the families working the surrounding plains. The presence of the First Creek Reservoir Spillway and smaller basins like Wilson Reservoir and McNeil Reservoir illustrate the hydraulic engineering vital to this era of prairie life. While large settlements are absent, the map documents the critical intersection of water resources and wide-open topography.