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1893 Map of Albany

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Albany
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1927
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1927

About this map

The Santa Fe Trail cuts across the northwest corner of this High Plains landscape, marking a historical corridor of westward expansion. Surveyed in 1890, the map documents the sparse settlement patterns along the Colorado Kansas Boundary Line before extensive irrigation transformed the region. Small outposts and water sources define the survival of early residents, with Albany and Minneapolis serving as central points in the southern section of Prowers and northern Baca counties.

Water-seeking travelers and ranchers relied on landmarks like Butte Springs and the drainage networks of Two Butte Creek and North Butte Creek. Further east, the Texas Trail runs north-to-south near the Hamilton and Stanton county lines in Kansas, highlighting the vital livestock routes of the era. The presence of Kline Ranche near Plum Creek illustrates the early cattle industry's footprint in a territory characterized by intermittent watercourses like Sand Arroyo and Horse Creek.