County and Township Map Montana Idaho and Wyoming

Detailed map highlighting survey progress in three western territories.

This fascinating map highlights the inexorable wave of settlers crowding into the American west during the second half of the 19th century. The first Transcontinental Railroad can be seen running along the bottom of the image, while the progress of the Northern Pacific can be traced to Miles City, Montana. Place names are heavily concentrated along these iron rails and the region’s navigable rivers, and township surveying is shown not to be far behind.

Despite the evidence of growth and development, the presence of numerous forts and Native American reservations and agencies reflect the ongoing tension between new immigrants and indigenous populations. The map was published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell in 1882.