1961 Map of Big Charlie Lakes

About this map

The Little Medicine Bow River cuts through this high Wyoming landscape, defining a terrain shaped by water and ranching interests in the early 1960s. The namesake Big Charlie Lakes appear as prominent features in the eastern portion of the survey, where the topography levels out before the drainage of Sheep Creek. This map captures the established rural footprint of the high plains, where isolated outposts like the Cram Ranch and Heward Ranch served as the primary centers of activity. The presence of a Pipeline crossing the river valley near the Carbon and Albany County line suggests the industrial layer of resource transportation that overlay the older agricultural patterns of the region. Numerous natural water sources, including a Spring and Spring Creek, provide a glimpse into the essential hydrology that sustained these remote ranching operations.