1960 Map of Wild Horse Flats

About this map

The Lamb Oil Field and Torchlight Oil Field dominate the southwest portion of this landscape, marking a period of significant energy development in Big Horn County during the late 1950s. The terrain transitions from the high ground of Potato Ridge and Fox Mtn in the northeast down toward the expansive Wild Horse Flats. Water management for this arid region is visible through the engineering of the Shell Canal and several catchment points, including Thomas Coulee Reservoir, Carey Reservoir, and Jones Reservoir. A network of unpaved travel ways, including a named Jeep Trail, connects these remote industrial and agricultural sites across a series of draws and gulches like Dead Horse Gulch and Frenchy Draw. The map reflects a working landscape where early 20th-century irrigation efforts met the post-war oil boom.