University publishes historical maps

UM’s Regional Learning Project has scoured archives across the continent, seeking historical maps depicting Big Sky Country. The latest finds — 20 maps titled “West of the Divide/Salish, Pend d’Oreille, Kootenai” — have just been published.

The maps are the third in a series called “Discovering Our Own Place, A Map Saga for Montana.” The newly printed 9-by-12-inch full-color images show areas west of the Continental Divide in Montana at various stages of development.

“They are a visual resource for place names, trails, location of tribes and the changing political landscape throughout the 19th century,” said Kim Lugthart, who does research and produces publications for the Regional Learning Project. “They are useful in classrooms, but we have found the general public is also extremely interested in them.”

Two maps by Pierre Jean DeSmet are featured in this set. DeSmet, a Jesuit priest, was the first missionary to visit Montana and start a settlement. One of his maps from the early 1840s is a beautiful sketch titled “Clark Fork & Kootenay Rivers and their tributaries.”

The other DeSmet map shows a Western Montana section he prepared for the 1851 treaty negotiations at Fort Laramie, Wyo. His map draws lines around tribal territories in what would become Montana for the first time.

The “West of the Divide” maps are available at The Bookstore at UM for $54. More information may be found by visiting http://web.umtbookstore.com/umtbookstore/ and then clicking on the “Understanding Regional History” box at the bottom of the page. Educational discounts are available for those who qualify.

The other two completed map sets in the series are “Hi-Line & Judith Basin/Gros Ventre” and “Rocky Mountain Front/Blackfeet.” Lugthart said a fourth in the series, “Missouri and Yellowstone River Headwaters/Crow,” will be out soon. The maps are printed by UM’s Printing and Graphic Services and published by The University of Montana Press.

The Regional Learning Project collaborates with tribes to produce top-quality, primary resource materials about American Indians, Montana and regional history. Projects include Web sites, videos and print media. Based at UM’s Center for Continuing Education, the project works to disseminate primary historic resources to educators teaching Indian history and the settlement of the American West.