Loading map...

1967 Map of Upper Magpie Reservoir

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Upper Magpie Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

The Gas City Oil Field dominates this eastern Montana landscape, illustrating the industrial footprint of petroleum development in Dawson County during the mid-1960s. A network of pipelines and scattered Oil Wells cross-cut the drainage basins of Magpie Creek and Cedar Creek. The terrain is defined by its water management infrastructure, featuring a high density of small earthen structures such as Gertison Dam, Jumper Dam, and Basin View Dam which supported local ranching and industry.

Water storage is central to this high-plains geography, seen in the presence of named catchments like Upper Magpie Reservoir, Bailer Reservoir, and the descriptively named Prairie Goat Reservoir. These features, alongside the Isabel Ditch, reflect a landscape heavily modified for water security in an arid environment. The map provides a detailed record of land use just as the Missouri River Basin development program reached this sector, capturing the intersection of natural creek beds and modern resource extraction.