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1937 Map of Valier

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of Valier
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1937
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1937

About this map

The town of Valier serves as the focal point of this 1930s landscape, positioned near the expansive Lake Frances and its vital Lake Frances Dam. This era of the High Plains is defined by an extensive network of Canal systems and irrigation infrastructure, which supported a growing agricultural community including the Wilkins Ranch and Stanford Russell Ranch. The Montana Western railroad cuts across the southern portion of the sheet, providing a critical transport link for the region's produce and livestock.

Evidence of a distributed rural society is found in the high density of country schoolhouses, such as Bullhead Sch, Buena Vista Sch, and Lake Sch. Religious and ethnic enclaves are noted by the presence of the Belgian Ch and Belgian Sch in the Winginaw Valley. The terrain transitions from the Abbott Ridge down toward the winding Marias River, revealing a landscape shaped by both natural coulees and human engineering.