Watson, Montana
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1976. It stands in the Great Falls North census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59404. The Survey maps it on the Northwest Great Falls quadrangle. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1886 USGS Great Falls quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1949 USGS Great Falls quadrangle1:62500
- 1951 USGS Great Falls quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Great Falls quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Great Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Northwest Great Falls quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1976 USGS Great Falls North quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
26 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Watson (historical) between 1994 and 2020, burning about 13,367 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9 |
| Fireworks | 6 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Central Land Office | BOOTLEGGER #1 |
| 8 September 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Central Land Office | BLACK EAGLE |
| 4 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Cascade County | 57 COMMAND |
| 2 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 acres | Central Land Office | STUCKEY RD MA |
| 12 September 2005 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge | NATURAL OUT 1 |
| 25 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Central Land Office | BLACK EAGLE |
| 23 August 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 40 acres | Central Land Office | BLACK EAGLE |
| 20 August 1998 | Natural | 44 acres | Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge | UNIT 6 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Watson (historical): 2 unknowns, 2 occurrences, 2 past producers, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Bentonite, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls Bentonite | Bentonite | Unknown | ||
| Great Falls Slag Dump | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Kraus Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Zook No. 1 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Treasurelite Shale Mine | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Location | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Unnamed Location | Clay | Occurrence |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countryside Village | 2.8 miles | 16 | |
| North Great Falls (historical) | 2.9 miles | 16 | |
| Little Chicago (historical) | 3.3 miles | 16 | |
| Black Eagle | 3.5 miles | 16 | |
| Smelter Hill | 3.7 miles | 16 | |
| Rainbow | 4.6 miles | 19 | |
| Boston Heights (historical) | 4.9 miles | 16 | |
| Great Falls | 5.4 miles | 16 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1762412. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.






