1952 Map of Almeria NW

About this map

The North Loup River meanders across this rural Nebraska landscape, where the flat floor of Pleasant Valley meets the uniquely named Bloody terrain to the north. Settlement in the early 1950s was sparse, defined by remote outposts such as the Peterson Ranch and a network of one-room schools including School No 15, Pleasant Valley Sch, and West End Sch. The irrigation history of the region is etched into the earth, visible here in the traces of an Abandoned Canal and an Aban'd Canal following the river's path. These defunct waterways, alongside the Church of God, speak to the community's efforts to manage the semi-arid environment of the Sandhills. Numerous windmills are noted across the sheet, marking vital water sources for cattle in the transition from the river valley to the more secluded Dry Valley in the south.