2012 Map of Balko SW

About this map

Blue Mound Cem sits as a lonely landmark within the sprawling grid of section roads that define this portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle in the early 21st century. The landscape is characterized by the meandering drainages of N Fork Clear Cr and S Fork Clear Cr, which cut subtle, irregular paths through a terrain otherwise strictly organized by a dense network of local roads such as N1300 Rd and E0300 Rd. This map reveals a late-stage agricultural pattern where the natural hydrology of the Clear Creek forks dictates the only breaks in a relentless geometric survey. The presence of the cemetery suggests a history of rural settlement where small community centers have faded, leaving only family burial grounds and a labyrinth of rural routes to mark the former homesteads of Beaver County.