Students study two maps of Montana, one from the past and one from the present. They learn about the changes in physical features and in human-made designed or political features. Students use these maps to locate and identify key physical and designed or political features of Montana in the past and present, noting the differences.
This lesson is part of "Great States: Montana Unit 2: Geography", which will introduce students to Montana’s unique geographical features and how they have changed over time.
3.2: Locate on a map or globe physical features (e.g., continents, oceans, mountain ranges, landforms), natural features (e.g., flora, fauna), and human features (e.g., cities, states, national borders).
- Map: Montana c. 1872
- Map: Montana Present Day
- An interactive whiteboard, projector, or another type of screen to show images to the class
- Class set of Montana’s Features handout
- Crayons or colored pencils
Distribute the Montana’s Features handout. Explain that physical features include mountain ranges, rivers, and other landforms, and that designed and political features include cities, reservations, and state borders.
Explain to students that there have been changes to the map over time, specifically in political features such as American Indian reservations.
Have students locate and circle any of the natural features on each map in brown. Some examples include the Rocky Mountains, Beartooth Mountains, Bitterroot Mountains, Absaroka Mountains, Missouri River, Yellowstone River, Flathead River, Flathead Lake, Continental Divide, and Great Plains.
Ask students to point out any physical features that are on the new map that weren’t identified on the old map, and vice versa. Have students put a yellow star next to these features. Explain that maps show what is important to the people at that time. So, if the Flathead River valley didn’t have railroads until the 1890s, the river might not have been shown on a map prior to that time.
Have students locate and circle any of the human-made features in red. Some examples include the Fort Peck Reservoir, Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Fort Benton, Fort Owen, Fort Pease, and the State Capital.
Ask students what human-made designed or political features they find to be different from one map to the other, and put an orange “X” on those places. Explain that forts appeared on maps as they were used in the Civil War and as fur trading posts. Since many forts are no longer in use, they may not appear on more recent maps.
Have students locate and circle American Indian reservations on both maps in green. They will include the Flathead Reservation, Blackfeet Reservation, Fort Peck Reservation, and Crow Reservation. Ask students, what has changed from one map to the other. [Crow and Flathead Reservations are a little smaller on the recent map, but the recent map also includes the new reservations of the Blackfeet, Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne, and Fort Peck (and Little Shell Chippewa and Rocky Boy).]
Only on 1872 map
Fort Peck Reservoir
Judith Mountains and River
Only on Present Day map
Flathead National Forest
Lewis & Clark National Forest
Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest
Custer–Gallatin National Forest
Kootenai National Forest
Fort Belknap Reservation
Northern Cheyenne Reservation
Rocky Boy Reservation
Little Shell Chippewa Tribal Capital
Fort Peck Reservation