1971 Map of Arapahoe NW

About this map

Muddy Creek and its numerous tributaries dominate this early 1970s survey of the rural Divide between Frontier and Gosper counties. The landscape is defined by a dense network of watercourses, including East Muddy Creek, Elder Creek, and West Muddy Creek, which have carved deep drainages into the Nebraska prairie. For the genealogist or local historian, the map identifies several rural landmarks that anchor the community's history, most notably the Salem West Cem, Salem East Cem, Pleasant Grove Cem, and East Muddy Cem. These burial grounds, often associated with early homesteading families and now-vanished congregations, are scattered across the uplands. The distribution of these features suggests a pattern of decentralized settlement typical of the High Plains, where farmsteads were tied to the proximity of reliable water and established township lines.