Loading map...

2011 Map of Watkins SE

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Watkins SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

Redwater River flows through this corner of McCone County, Montana, carving a course through an arid landscape defined by small-scale water management. The topography is marked by numerous stock ponds and water control structures, including the curiously named For Sale Dam and Wackle Dam. These features, along with Duck Dam and Sheep Mountain Dam, speak to the critical importance of water storage for ranching operations in this high plains environment.

Transportation is limited to a sparse network of unpaved corridors such as Duck Creek Rd and Big Sheep Mountain Rd, which provide access to the drainage basins of Lisk Creek and East Branch Timber Creek. The map records a moment in the early 21st century where the primary land use remains centered on the natural hydrology and the infrastructure required to support livestock in the vast drainage between the Redwater and Missouri River systems.