Augusta-Choteau Geographic Setting
Get off the interstate, head down US Highway 287 from Wolf Creek or US Highway 89 from Vaughn/Great Falls, slow down, get out of the car and put boots on the ground, and experience the majesty of the Rocky Mountain Front in northern Montana. The Augusta-Choteau area is the portal to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex that includes the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Great Bear, and Scapegoat Wilderness areas. Experience first hand this remarkable landscape where the Rocky Mountains rise abruptly from the Great Plains. To the east, lies the world famous Egg Mountain paleontologic site. This is also an area of rich cultural heritage, home of the Blackfoot Indian tribe and location of the lyrical writings of Ivan Doig. It is also the site of contemporary issues that include the question of whether oil and gas development should be allowed along the Rocky Mountain Front, should the Badger-Two Medicine Roadless Area (south of Glacier National Park and nestled between the Blackfoot Indian Reservation and the Bob Marshall Wilderness) be preserved as a wilderness area, what are the impacts of climate change on fragile Alpine ecosystems and on water resources needed for agriculture, what is the role of the Endangered Species Act in managing grizzly bear populations as they increasingly migrate from the mountains to the plains?
County Information
Geographic, Socio-Economic Indicators from Headwaters Economics
See the report on Montana's Rock Mountain Front by Chris Mehl (2012), Headwaters Economics, that contains extensive historical, demographic and economic (agricultural, land use, hunting and outdoor recreation, and much more) information about this area.
Headwaters Economics has developed an Economic Profile System that produces "socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, & states, including aggregations and comparisons. The Economic Profile System (EPS) uses federal data sources, including the Bureaus of Economic Analysis, Census, & others." Explore the geographies of the of the Rocky Mountain Front by exploring these topical reports for each county.
Teton County
- Profile of Socioeconomic Measures Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 803kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Land Use, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 374kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Public Land Amenities, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 477kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Agriculture, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 504kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Mining Including Oil and Gas, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 410kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Timber and Wood Products, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 413kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Tourism, Teton County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 470kB Apr10 18)

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Pondera County
- [Profile of Socioeconomic Indicators Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 805kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Land Use, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 374kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Public Land Amenities, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 478kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Agriculture, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 504kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Mining Including Oil and Gas, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 412kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Timber and Wood Products, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 412kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Tourism, Pondera County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 469kB Apr10 18)
Lewis and Clark County
- Profile of Socioeconomic Indicators Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 809kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Land Use, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 375kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Public Land Amenities, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 480kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Agriculture, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 506kB Apr10 18)
- rofile of Mining Including Oil and Gas, Lewis and Clark County, MTfile of Mining Including Oil and Gas, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 412kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Timber and Wood Products, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 415kB Apr10 18)
- Profile of Tourism, Lewis and Clark County, MT (Acrobat (PDF) 475kB Apr10 18)
Public Lands
Public lands in the Augusta-Choteau area are administered by three National Forests:
- Flathead National Forest, see also Special Places
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- See also resources from the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation; download their Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Map (Acrobat (PDF) 293kB Apr10 18)
- The Public Lands Information Center can help you find a Montana BLM 1:100,000 Surface Management Map.
- Public-Private Land Ownership Maps can be downloaded from the Montana State Library.