1977 Map of Beardsley NW

About this map

Lake Traverse defines the western edge of this orthophoto quadrangle, marking the natural boundary between Minnesota and South Dakota in the late 1970s. This aerial perspective, produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, reveals the intensive agricultural grid of the northern plains, where large, rectangular fields stretch toward the bluffs above the lake. Near the shoreline, the small settlement of Dakomin sits along the rail line and road corridor that parallels the water's edge. The imagery highlights the sharp contrast between the deeply eroded coulees and drainage patterns leading into the basin and the flat, productive upland till plain. This specialized survey provides a precise visual record of land use and shoreline vegetation before modern developments altered the rural landscape of the Traverse Gap.