THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTY
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF COUNTY IN NEW DEAL ERA
ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF COUNTY IN NEW DEAL ERA
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DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE COUNTY ENTERING THE DEPRESSION
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WHY THE COUNTY WAS IN THIS POSITION
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KNOWN NEW DEAL PROJECTS IN THE COUNTY
TWO EXAMPLES OF NEW DEAL PROJECTS IN COUNTY
PROBABLE BUT UNCONFIRMED NEW DEAL PROJECTS IN CARTER COUNTY
SEE BELOW FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE COUNTY & RESEARCH NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES
MAPS AND LAND RECORDS
Custer County’s Historical Maps and Land Records
Custer County’s historical maps and land records reveal a landscape shaped by the Yellowstone River, the Tongue River, the Pumpkin Creek and Mizpah Creek drainages, and more than a century of ranching, dryland farming, freighting, military activity, and rural settlement. The county’s spatial history is defined by the interplay of major river valleys, badland breaks, mixed‑grass prairie, and the pine‑covered uplands of the Ashland Ranger District — each leaving a distinct cartographic imprint. Together, these layers form a record of ecological change, land use, and political transformation that continues to shape the county today.
Early GLO Survey Plats
Early General Land Office (GLO) survey plats provide the first systematic Euro‑American mapping of Custer County. Surveyors traced:
the Yellowstone and Tongue River corridors
Pumpkin Creek, Mizpah Creek, Sunday Creek, and other tributaries
the foothill benches and breaks that shaped early ranching and freighting routes
wagon roads, military trails, and early homestead claims
timbered slopes and upland meadows in the Ashland Ranger District
These plats capture the county at the moment when ranching, freighting, and early dryland farming were beginning to reshape the landscape, while also recording remnants of Indigenous travel routes, river crossings, and seasonal use areas.
USGS Topographic Maps
USGS topographic maps — from the early 15‑minute sheets to the modern 7.5‑minute quadrangles — trace the evolution of Custer County’s infrastructure and land use. They document:
the growth of Miles City as a livestock, commercial, and civic hub
the development of ranching along the Yellowstone, Tongue, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah valleys
the expansion of stock‑water reservoirs and dugouts across the prairie
CCC and USFS activity in the Ashland Ranger District
the early road network linking Miles City, Volborg, Kinsey, Locate, and rural districts
the transformation of homestead landscapes as dryland farms failed and ranches consolidated
Later editions capture the spread of REA power lines, improved county roads, and the long‑term ecological effects of New Deal conservation work.
Cadastral Records
Cadastral records provide a detailed view of land ownership and land‑use change across Custer County. These maps document:
the consolidation of failed homesteads into larger ranches
the shifting patterns of land tenure during and after the Depression
the influence of RA submarginal land purchases on grazing districts
the evolution of timber allotments and grazing permits in the Ashland Ranger District
the persistence of family ranches across multiple generations
These records are essential for understanding how land passed between families, companies, and agencies, and how ranching, freighting, and dryland agriculture reshaped the county’s valleys, benches, and uplands.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps provide some of the most detailed urban cartography available for Montana towns. In Custer County, surviving sheets for Miles City offer invaluable insight into early 20th‑century community life, documenting:
commercial blocks
public buildings
blacksmith shops, garages, and service stations
railroad‑adjacent warehouses and industrial structures
fire‑risk assessments for dense commercial districts
These maps capture Miles City during its transition from a frontier military supply point to a regional commercial and livestock‑shipping center.
Historic Highway Maps
Historic highway maps reveal the transportation corridors that linked rural communities to markets and services. Early state highway maps show:
the alignment and improvement of the Miles City–Broadus, Miles City–Forsyth, and Miles City–Ashland corridors
feeder roads connecting ranching districts to railheads and trading centers
the gradual improvement of rural roads, many upgraded or realigned through WPA and county‑administered New Deal projects
the emergence of CCC‑built access roads in the Ashland Ranger District
These maps illustrate how transportation infrastructure shaped settlement, commerce, and access to land across Custer County.
Together, These Maps Tell Custer County’s Spatial Story
Together, these maps and land records form a layered spatial history of Custer County — a record of how river valleys, prairie drainages, upland forests, military installations, homestead districts, and ranching communities reshaped the landscape over more than a century. They illuminate:
the county’s evolving land‑tenure systems, from homestead claims to consolidated ranches
the ecological transformations of its prairie benches, riparian valleys, and upland forests
the rise, collapse, and long‑term consolidation of dryland farming districts
the imprint of New Deal conservation, watershed engineering, and rangeland rehabilitation
the shifting relationships between ranching families, homesteaders, freighters, timber workers, and federal land managers
the enduring influence of CCC, SCS, RA, WPA, PWA, NYA, and REA programs on land use, access, and infrastructure
For researchers, educators, and community members, these cartographic sources are indispensable tools for understanding New Deal projects, rural land histories, military development, and the evolving relationship between people and place in one of Montana’s most historically layered counties.
They reveal how Custer County’s landscapes were mapped, grazed, farmed, irrigated, logged, electrified, militarized, and restored — and how these processes continue to shape the county’s identity today.
MONTANA GENERAL HIGHWAY MAPS OF THE COUNTY
FSA AND NEW DEAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTY
FSA & New Deal Photography in Custer County
Overview
Custer County holds a distinctive and often overlooked New Deal photographic landscape shaped by the Yellowstone River, the Tongue River, the Pumpkin Creek and Mizpah Creek drainages, the badlands and prairie benches, and the pine‑covered uplands of the Ashland Ranger District. Unlike counties with large, unified FSA sequences, Custer County’s surviving Farm Security Administration (FSA), Resettlement Administration (RA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Soil Conservation Service (SCS), National Youth Administration (NYA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) photographs form a distributed but powerful visual record of:
irrigated ranching and hay production along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers
CCC conservation labor in the Ashland Ranger District
SCS erosion‑control and range‑restoration projects on prairie benches and badland drainages
small‑town civic life in Miles City, Kinsey, Volborg, and rural communities
RA submarginal land purchases and homestead abandonment
transportation networks linking ranching districts to Miles City and regional railheads
timber work, fire management, and watershed projects in the Tongue River breaks
These images, taken between the early 1930s and early 1940s, document a county where federal investment, ranching adaptation, watershed engineering, and rural community life were deeply intertwined.
Custer County Themes & Image Sequences
The surviving photographic record clusters around several major themes:
irrigated ranching and stock‑water development in the Yellowstone and Tongue River valleys
small‑town civic life and public works in Miles City and rural communities
range work and erosion control on prairie benches and badland drainages
CCC and USFS conservation projects in the Ashland Ranger District
RA documentation of homestead failure and land consolidation
transportation networks linking ranching districts to railheads
timber, fire, and watershed management in upland forests
These themes mirror the county’s economic and ecological structure during the Depression and reveal how New Deal programs reshaped its landscapes.
Irrigated Ranching & Stock‑Water Development
Custer County’s photographic record captures the daily realities of ranching in a landscape defined by mountain snowpack, irrigation ditches, and narrow riparian corridors. Surviving images show:
haying operations on irrigated meadows along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers
headgates, flumes, and early ditch systems maintained by local irrigation districts
earthen reservoirs and dugouts built by ranchers, WPA crews, or CCC enrollees
lambing sheds, branding grounds, and seasonal labor camps
hand‑dug wells and windmills on prairie benches
These photographs reveal how ranching families adapted to drought, fluctuating water supplies, and the technical labor required to sustain agriculture in a semi‑arid river‑prairie environment.
Small‑Town Civic Life & Public Works in Miles City and Rural Communities
Miles City — Custer County’s civic, commercial, and cultural center — appears in New Deal photographs as a resilient ranching and freighting town undergoing rapid modernization. Surviving images show:
WPA street grading, culvert installation, and drainage improvements
school repairs, NYA shop programs, and community‑building upgrades
storefronts, service stations, and civic buildings anchoring the regional economy
daily life in agricultural neighborhoods and rural districts
Photographs from Kinsey, Volborg, and other rural communities document similar patterns: small‑town infrastructure strengthened by federal relief programs during the hardest years of the Depression.
Range Work & Erosion Control on Prairie Benches and Badland Drainages
SCS and CCC photographs document the ecological crisis unfolding across Custer County’s rangelands in the 1930s. Images often depict:
gully erosion in Pumpkin Creek, Mizpah Creek, and Tongue River tributaries
contour furrows, check dams, and brush weirs
reseeding efforts using drought‑tolerant native grasses
fenced exclosures protecting recovering vegetation
These images show the early scientific foundations of rangeland conservation — a turning point in how ranchers, federal agencies, and local communities approached land stewardship.
CCC & USFS Conservation Projects in the Ashland Ranger District
The Ashland Ranger District was a major center of CCC activity, and surviving photographs capture:
road building and trail construction through forested uplands
timber stand improvement and fire‑hazard reduction
lookout towers, firebreaks, and communication lines
spring developments and watershed stabilization projects
These images highlight the CCC’s dual mission: ecological restoration and the training of young men in forestry, engineering, and land management.
RA Documentation of Homestead Failure & Land Consolidation
Custer County’s RA and FSA photographs often focus on the aftermath of the homestead era. They show:
abandoned cabins, collapsed barns, and wind‑scoured fields
families relocating or consolidating landholdings
submarginal tracts targeted for RA purchase
the stark contrast between failed dryland farms and surviving irrigated ranches
These images form a visual archive of the human and ecological consequences of the 1910s homestead boom — and the federal response that followed.
Transportation Networks Linking Ranching Districts to Railheads
Because Custer County’s economy depended on ranching, freighting, and regional trade, transportation was a defining theme. Photographs document:
wagon roads and early truck routes across prairie benches
WPA‑improved roads connecting Miles City to rural districts
culverts, bridges, and drainage structures built to withstand runoff from badland terrain
trucks hauling wool, cattle, and supplies to railheads
These images reveal how mobility shaped economic survival in a county where ranching districts depended on access to Miles City’s markets and services.
Timber, Fire, and Watershed Management in Upland Forests
USFS and CCC photographs from the Ashland Ranger District show:
timber cutting, post‑and‑pole production, and fuelwood gathering
fire suppression crews, lookout towers, and early fire‑management systems
watershed stabilization in forested headwaters
CCC enrollees working in rugged, remote terrain
These images illustrate the ecological importance of Custer County’s uplands — and the federal commitment to managing them during the New Deal.
How These Themes Work Together
Taken together, these photographic themes reveal a county defined by:
ranching resilience
ecological vulnerability
federal conservation intervention
community adaptation
the lived experience of rural families during the Depression
They show a landscape where river valleys, prairie benches, and upland forests intersect with federal labor, scientific conservation, and local knowledge, creating a visual record as compelling as any in Montana.
Featured Images: Custer County
(We will populate this once you provide your selected images or once we extract them from the FSA/RA/USFS/SCS corpus.)
FAS THEMES OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN COUNTY
THEME 1: BLAH BLAH
RESEARCH NEEDED, RESEARCH PATHWAYS, & LOCAL RESOURCES
RESEARCH NEEDED
There Is So Much More to Be Revealed
“—There is so much more to be revealed that is mostly held in the cultural memory of the families and individuals who have lived in Custer County for generations, and those who work closely with the land, water, and resources of the county — people who are intimately CONNECTED to this place. Additional knowledge rests in local historical societies, community museums, and family archives, waiting to be shared with the world.”
The New Deal footprint in Custer County is far larger than the surviving records suggest. What can be documented today — the WPA street and drainage work in Miles City, the CCC erosion‑control and forestry projects in the Ashland Ranger District, the SCS range‑restoration work across the Pumpkin Creek and Mizpah Creek benches, the RA submarginal land purchases that reshaped failing homestead districts, the REA lines that brought electricity to isolated ranches — represents only a fraction of the labor, memory, and landscape change that unfolded across the county during the 1930s. Much of this history lives not in federal archives but in the lived experience of families who weathered the Depression, in the stories passed down through ranch houses, sheep camps, and prairie homesteads, and in the quiet infrastructure still embedded in the land: a stock pond tucked into a sagebrush draw, a hand‑built culvert on a county road, a windbreak planted by CCC boys above a Tongue River hayfield.
Across Custer County, elders, ranchers, and long‑time residents hold knowledge of projects that never made it into official reports — the WPA crew that rebuilt a washed‑out road after a spring cloudburst, the CCC enrollees who cut firebreaks along the Tongue River breaks during a dangerous fire season, the SCS technician who taught new grazing practices that saved a family’s pasture, the CCC boys who developed a spring that still waters cattle today. Local museums, historical societies, and family collections contain scattered references, photographs, maps, and oral histories waiting to be connected into a fuller narrative. These fragments, when assembled, reveal a landscape profoundly shaped by federal investment, local labor, and the resilience of rural communities.
There is still so much more to uncover — stories held in attics and family albums, in county ledgers and forgotten file drawers, in the memories of people whose parents and grandparents lived through the hardest years of the Depression. In Miles City, families recall WPA workers who kept the town functioning when collapsing budgets threatened basic services. In the Ashland Ranger District, ranchers still point to stock ponds, check dams, and reseeded pastures that trace their origins to CCC and SCS crews. Along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers, residents remember the early SCS technicians who walked the drainages long before conservation districts formalized their work.
As this project grows, these voices and materials will help illuminate the full scope of New Deal work in Custer County, revealing a history that is not only infrastructural but deeply human — rooted in the land, in the creeks, ridges, and prairies that sustain life here, and in the people who have cared for this place across generations.
RESEARCH PATHWAYS
Research Pathways and Collaborative Opportunities (Custer County)
Custer County’s New Deal history is only partially documented, and the work of this project is to uncover the full scope of federal activity across the Yellowstone River corridor, the Tongue River Valley, the Pumpkin Creek and Mizpah Creek drainages, the prairie ranching districts, and the pine‑covered uplands of the Ashland Ranger District. What is known today — CCC conservation and watershed projects in the uplands, WPA civic improvements in Miles City and rural communities, SCS erosion‑control and range‑restoration work across the benches, RA submarginal land purchases, FSA rehabilitation programs, and REA electrification — represents only a fraction of what occurred here between 1933 and 1942.
Much of the county’s New Deal footprint remains unrecorded or exists only in fragments. There is not yet a complete list of WPA projects, nor a clear picture of the full extent of CCC work on roads, trails, firebreaks, spring developments, and watershed structures in the Ashland Ranger District. The details of SCS demonstration pastures, grazing‑management programs, and erosion‑control structures are still incomplete, as are the specific contributions of federal agencies to school facilities, community buildings, rural water systems, and stock‑water infrastructure. Many projects appear only as brief mentions in newspapers, scattered photographs, partial USFS references, or memories held by families and communities. These gaps point to a much larger story of how federal programs shaped Custer County’s ranching economy, upland forests, prairie homesteads, and transportation networks.
In the Ashland Ranger District, CCC and USFS projects — road building, trail construction, timber stand improvement, firebreak cutting, spring development, and erosion‑control structures — are often documented only through brief camp summaries or scattered photographs. Many of these sites remain visible on the landscape but have never been mapped or described in detail. Early SCS watershed surveys and RA land‑use planning files also remain underexplored; these records contain invaluable information about submarginal land purchases, abandoned homesteads, grazing‑unit planning, and early conservation strategies that shaped the county’s long‑term land‑use patterns.
In Miles City, Kinsey, Volborg, and the surrounding ranching districts, the archival record is equally complex. WPA projects were administered through local governments, and many records were never consolidated at the state level. School improvements, street grading, culvert installations, and drainage projects often appear only in local newspapers or in the memories of families whose parents and grandparents worked on relief crews. NYA shop programs — which trained young people in carpentry, mechanics, and home economics — are similarly scattered across school district archives, personal collections, and oral histories.
The Montana New Deal Heritage Partnership is committed to turning over every stone in Custer County. Every archive, collection, map, set of agency files, local record, and oral history may contain essential pieces of this history. To build a complete and publicly accessible record of the county’s New Deal landscape, we need to identify every project, map every site, and document every program that operated here — across irrigated valleys, prairie ranchlands, upland forests, and rural communities. This work depends on active collaboration from local historians, multi‑generational ranch families, community elders, museums, county offices, federal and state agencies, researchers, and community members. Anyone who holds documents, photographs, stories, or leads — no matter how small — contributes to the larger effort to understand how federal programs reshaped Custer County during the New Deal era.
Research Guide for Collaborators – Custer County
For Hydrology, Watersheds & Stock‑Water Systems
Soil Conservation Service (SCS) / NRCS Archives Erosion‑control plans, watershed surveys, stock‑water development maps for the Yellowstone, Tongue River, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah Creek drainages.
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) – Custer National Forest (Ashland Ranger District) Spring‑development records, upland watershed assessments, CCC‑era hydrological improvements in the Tongue River breaks.
MSU Extension Historical grazing bulletins, dryland agriculture reports, and early water‑management guidance for eastern Montana ranching districts.
For CCC Camps in the Ashland Ranger District
CCC Legacy Camp rosters, project summaries, and administrative histories for Camps F‑55 and F‑116.
Fort Missoula CCC District Maps Project areas, road networks, fire lookouts, erosion‑control structures, and conservation sites across the Ashland Ranger District.
USFS Region 1 Historical Summaries Timber stand improvement, trail construction, fire‑management work, spring development, and watershed stabilization.
For WPA/PWA Civic Improvements
Montana Newspapers (Miles City Star, Forsyth Independent, Powder River Examiner) Project approvals, relief‑crew reports, school and street improvements, culvert installations.
County Commissioner Mentions WPA labor references, rural road work, drainage upgrades, public‑building repairs (often documented indirectly through newspaper reporting).
MHS WPA Lists Official project summaries for Miles City and rural Custer County districts.
For FSA/RA/USFS/SCS Photography
Library of Congress FSA/OWI Collection Rural‑life images, irrigated ranching, homestead abandonment, and RA documentation of submarginal lands.
USFS Photographic Archives CCC forestry, fire, and watershed projects in the Ashland Ranger District.
SCS Photo Files Erosion‑control structures, contour furrows, stock‑water developments, and range‑restoration work.
Local Museums & Historical Societies (Range Riders Museum, Miles City) Community‑held photographs, family albums, uncataloged prints, CCC camp snapshots, and ranch‑level images.
For Ranch‑Level Histories
Multi‑generational ranching families along the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers
Prairie ranchers across the Pumpkin Creek, Mizpah Creek, and Sunday Creek districts
Local oral histories documenting CCC stock ponds, SCS reseeding, WPA road work, RA land purchases, and early electrification
Family archives containing maps, letters, photographs, and work logs from the 1930s–1940s
Immediate Research Opportunities (Custer County)
Local Project Files
Systematic identification of WPA, CCC, SCS, PWA, RA, and REA project files in county, state, and federal archives — especially those tied to Miles City, Kinsey, Volborg, the Tongue River Valley, and the Ashland Ranger District.
Commissioner Minutes
Detailed review of 1930s Custer County commissioner minutes for project approvals, road contracts, culvert installations, drainage work, school improvements, and civic infrastructure funded through WPA and PWA programs. Many WPA references appear only in newspapers; the underlying administrative record remains largely unmapped.
Ranch‑Level Histories
Oral histories and family archives from ranches along the Yellowstone, Tongue River, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah Creek districts — documenting:
CCC‑built stock ponds and spring developments
SCS reseeding and contour‑furrow projects
early electrification through REA cooperatives
RA land purchases and homestead abandonment
These family‑held materials are essential for reconstructing the county’s on‑the‑ground New Deal landscape.
Upland Conservation Work
Collaboration with USFS Region 1 and Custer National Forest archives to document CCC projects in the Ashland Ranger District, including:
trail systems
fire lookouts and firebreaks
erosion‑control structures
timber stand improvement
spring development and watershed stabilization
Many of these sites remain visible but have never been formally mapped or described.
Photographic Provenance
Tracing local prints, museum holdings, and community copies of FSA, RA, USFS, SCS, NYA, and CCC photographs related to Custer County — especially:
Ashland Ranger District CCC camp documentation
RA images of homestead failure and land consolidation
SCS erosion‑control and range‑restoration photographs
rural school and NYA shop‑program images
ranch‑level photographs of stock‑water systems and seasonal labor
These images are scattered across family albums, museum collections, and federal archives.
Hydrology, Watersheds & Stock‑Water Systems
Research into early SCS watershed surveys, USFS spring‑development files, and RA land‑use planning documents for:
stock‑water reservoirs and dugouts
gully stabilization in prairie and badland drainages
spring protection in the Ashland Ranger District
early water‑delivery improvements on ranches
These records are essential for understanding how federal programs reshaped water systems across Custer County.
Education & NYA
Documentation of NYA projects and student experiences in Miles City, Kinsey, and rural school districts reveals a scattered but compelling record of Depression‑era youth training programs. Surviving references point to:
carpentry and mechanics shop programs
schoolyard improvements and playground leveling
small building repairs and maintenance projects
vocational training initiatives in home economics, agriculture, and trades
These programs appear in school board notes, local newspapers, and family recollections, but they lack a consolidated narrative. NYA work provided essential skills for young people in ranching families, offering pathways into trades, mechanics, and community service at a time when employment opportunities were scarce.
Homestead, RA & FSA Landscapes
Research into RA submarginal land purchases, FSA rehabilitation loans, and homestead‑era abandonment across the Pumpkin Creek, Mizpah Creek, and Tongue River districts reveals the dramatic transition from failed dryland farming to consolidated ranching landscapes. These records illuminate:
the collapse of marginal homestead districts
the acquisition of abandoned tracts for grazing units
the stabilization of struggling ranch families through FSA loans
the long‑term shift toward larger, more resilient ranch operations
These landscapes hold the physical and documentary traces of the county’s transformation during the 1930s — a shift from speculative dryland agriculture to a more sustainable ranching economy supported by federal intervention.
Transportation Networks
Identification of WPA and PWA road‑building projects across Custer County is a major research priority. Probable and confirmed projects include:
improvements to the Miles City–Broadus corridor
rural road grading and culvert construction in the Tongue River and Pumpkin Creek districts
drainage stabilization along badland routes prone to runoff and erosion
CCC‑built access routes in the Ashland Ranger District
These transportation projects shaped mobility, commerce, and community life during and after the Depression, linking ranching districts, rural schools, and agricultural valleys to regional markets and railheads.
LOCAL RESOURCES
Custer County’s New Deal history is distributed across county, state, federal, and watershed institutions. Researchers, educators, and community partners can use the guide below to identify where specific types of records are most likely to be found.
Multi‑Generational Ranch Families & Community Historians
family photo albums documenting lambing, branding, haying, fencing, and seasonal ranch work
unrecorded stories of CCC, WPA, SCS, and RA projects on or near ranch properties
knowledge of local place names, informal work camps, and seasonal movement patterns
memories of early stock‑water systems, dugouts, windmills, grazing districts, and watershed improvements
These families are crucial collaborators because they hold detailed, place‑based memories that can confirm project locations, identify people in photographs, and connect federal records to specific ranches, drainages, and communities across the Yellowstone, Tongue River, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah Creek valleys.
Range Riders Museum — Miles City, MT
The Range Riders Museum holds a wide range of materials relevant to New Deal research:
photographs of ranching, dryland farming, CCC camps, and early community life
artifacts from Miles City and surrounding rural districts
homesteading records, maps, and early agricultural tools
exhibits documenting freighting, ranching, military history, and regional settlement
Museum collections complement federal archives and are essential for identifying New Deal–era images, artifacts, and documents tied to county‑administered projects.
Custer County Historical Society
The Historical Society coordinates local collecting efforts and often serves as a bridge between families, researchers, and institutions. Its holdings include:
oral histories from ranching families
community scrapbooks and uncataloged photographs
local newspaper clippings documenting WPA, CCC, and NYA activity
maps, diaries, and family documents related to homesteading and ranching
These materials reveal how New Deal programs were experienced at the community level.
Custer County Government Offices
County offices hold essential administrative records showing how New Deal projects were proposed, approved, funded, and implemented. Key sources include:
commissioner minutes referencing WPA labor, road work, culverts, and drainage projects
school district records documenting NYA shop programs and WPA building repairs
road and bridge files showing PWA and WPA improvements
early water‑system and well‑development records
These records can be matched with federal files to reconstruct project timelines and local decision‑making processes.
Custer County Conservation District
The Conservation District maintains some of the most important long‑term records for understanding land and water management in the county. Its holdings often include:
SCS range‑survey maps and erosion‑control plans
stock‑water development records (dugouts, reservoirs, spring improvements)
early grazing‑management plans and demonstration‑plot notes
watershed assessments for the Tongue River, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah Creek
Because many New Deal conservation projects were never formally cataloged at the state level, the Conservation District is a critical partner for reconstructing on‑the‑ground work in the 1930s.
Custer County Extension Office
The Extension Office in Miles City has deep ties to agricultural development and often preserves community‑level knowledge that bridges federal and local histories. Its files may include:
grazing practices and dryland‑farming bulletins for eastern Montana
demonstration‑plot records and early soil‑improvement programs
4‑H and youth‑training initiatives connected to NYA programs
ranching practices, drought‑response strategies, and early water‑management notes
Extension agents frequently hold personal knowledge of families, ranch histories, and undocumented projects — making them invaluable collaborators.
State, Federal, and Watershed Agencies
Custer County’s New Deal landscape intersects with a wide range of agencies whose work shaped rangeland management, watershed stabilization, stock‑water development, upland forestry, transportation networks, homestead‑era land consolidation, and rural electrification. Each agency holds records, maps, photographs, or institutional memory essential to reconstructing the county’s federal footprint between 1933 and 1942.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
(formerly Soil Conservation Service – SCS)
historic soil surveys for the Tongue River, Pumpkin Creek, and Mizpah Creek watersheds
SCS range‑survey maps and erosion‑control sheets
contour‑furrow, check‑dam, and reseeding documentation
stock‑water development records (dugouts, reservoirs, spring improvements)
grazing‑management plans and demonstration‑plot notes
NRCS holds the core technical record of Custer County’s New Deal conservation work. Because the county’s economy depended on rangeland health, stock‑water availability, and erosion control, NRCS/SCS files contain the scientific backbone of 1930s interventions — maps, surveys, and engineering notes that rarely appear in federal summaries. These records are indispensable for locating CCC/SCS structures on the ground and understanding how conservation reshaped the prairie.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP)
early wildlife surveys in the Ashland Ranger District and Tongue River breaks
habitat assessments referencing CCC/SCS watershed work
early access‑route and recreation‑site development records
documentation of pre‑designation wildlife conditions in prairie and badland districts
FWP provides ecological context for New Deal conservation in the Ashland Ranger District and prairie drainages. Early wildlife surveys, habitat assessments, and recreation‑site planning help researchers understand how CCC and SCS projects influenced game populations, riparian health, and public access.
Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT)
construction logs for the Miles City–Broadus and Miles City–Forsyth corridors
bridge and culvert plans for badland drainages
WPA‑era road‑grading and drainage‑improvement records
early state highway maps showing pre‑ and post‑New Deal alignments
Because Custer County’s ranching districts depended on access to Miles City’s markets, transportation was a lifeline. MDOT records document how WPA and PWA projects connected isolated ranching districts to railheads, stabilized badland drainages, and improved regional corridors. These files help reconstruct the infrastructure backbone that shaped mobility, commerce, and community life.
U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
Custer National Forest – Ashland Ranger District
CCC camp reports for Camp F‑55 and Camp F‑116
trail, road, and fire‑lookout construction maps
timber stand improvement and fire‑management documentation
spring‑development and watershed‑stabilization records
CCC project photographs and camp newsletters
USFS administered both CCC camps in Custer County and oversaw the county’s most intensive New Deal conservation work. Its archives contain project maps, camp reports, fire‑management files, and watershed‑restoration documentation for the Ashland Ranger District. These records are essential for mapping CCC roads, trails, firebreaks, and spring developments that still shape the uplands today.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
(Custer County contains extensive BLM rangelands — a major difference from Carbon County)
grazing‑district formation records (1930s–1940s)
early range‑condition surveys and carrying‑capacity assessments
stock‑water development files (dugouts, wells, pipelines)
homestead‑relinquishment and land‑classification documents
Custer County contains vast BLM rangelands, making BLM central to understanding grazing districts, stock‑water systems, homestead relinquishment, and early range‑condition surveys. Many New Deal conservation efforts occurred on what later became BLM land. Their files help reconstruct how federal policy reshaped public rangelands and ranching economies.
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WEBSITE ARCHIVE AND DIGITAL COLLECTION
DIGITIZED NEW DEAL DOCUMENTS FOR THE COUNTY
WEBSITE ARCHIVE — Click on the links below to access collections held within this project
Photographs
FSA Photographs
See the FSA Image Index for Custer County for a detailed list of images, IDs, and links. Use this section to embed selected images, add interpretive captions, and link to local or museum‑held prints.
Click to Access Library of Congress FSA Montana Photographs
Museum Photographs
[Placeholder for museum‑held images related to Custer County New Deal projects — including Miles City, Kinsey, Volborg, the Tongue River Valley, and rural districts.]
Individual Contributions
[Placeholder for community‑contributed photographs and family collections documenting ranching, CCC work, SCS conservation projects, and rural life.]
Other Sources
[Placeholder for additional photographic sources (Range Riders Museum, MHS, NARA, USFS Region 1, SCS photo files, local archives, etc.).]
Historic Newspaper Articles for Custer County Related to New Deal Projects
Click to Access Historic Montana Newspapers Click to Access Chronicling America – Historic American Newspapers
Upload, annotate, and organize New Deal–related newspaper articles here.
CCC — Civilian Conservation Corps
[Upload and annotate CCC‑related newspaper articles here — Ashland Ranger District, Tongue River breaks, forestry work, fire management.]
WPA — Works Progress Administration
[Upload and annotate WPA‑related newspaper articles here — road work, school repairs, civic improvements in Miles City and rural districts.]
REA — Rural Electrification Administration
[Upload and annotate REA‑related newspaper articles here — line extensions, cooperative formation, rural electrification.]
SCS — Soil Conservation Service
[Upload and annotate SCS‑related newspaper articles here — erosion control, contour furrows, stock‑water development, range restoration.]
AAA — Agricultural Adjustment Administration
[Upload and annotate AAA‑related newspaper articles here — crop programs, livestock adjustments, agricultural policy.]
Other Programs
[Upload and annotate articles related to other New Deal programs here — NYA, PWA, RA, FSA, etc.]
Custer County Government Records
Commissioner Minutes
[Link to or describe digitized commissioner minutes related to New Deal projects — road contracts, WPA approvals, REA agreements, school improvements, rural water systems.]
Grantor / Grantee Records
[Link to or describe land and property records relevant to New Deal–era changes — RA land purchases, homestead abandonment, ranch consolidation.]
Custer County New Deal Documents
[Repository for letters, reports, blueprints, contracts, and other primary documents related to New Deal activity in Custer County — CCC camp materials, SCS plans, WPA project sheets, REA cooperative records.]
SEE BELOW FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IDENTITY AND HISTORY OF THE COUNTY
Custer County lies within a region shaped for thousands of years by the deep histories, homelands, and cultural geographies of many Tribal Nations, including the Tsétsêhéstâhese (Northern Cheyenne), Apsáalooke (Crow), and Lakȟóta and Dakota (Sioux) peoples, as well as the Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa, and other Plains nations whose seasonal rounds, trade networks, hunting territories, and travel corridors extended across the Yellowstone River basin, the Tongue River country, the Powder River Basin, and the pine‑covered uplands of the Custer National Forest. These lands remain part of their living cultural landscapes — places of story, movement, gathering, ceremony, and stewardship — and this project honors their enduring presence, sovereignty, and relationships with the waters, soils, plants, and animal nations of eastern Montana.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTY
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY
GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTY
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BIOLOGY OF THE COUNTY
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HYDROLOGY OF THE COUNTY
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