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2023 Map of Big Lake

Name: 2023 Topographic Map of Big Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2023
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

The Missouri River and its complex floodplain dominate this landscape at the border of Missouri and Nebraska. The massive bends and abandoned channels, such as the Old Channel Tarkio River and Old Channel Little Tarkio Creek, reveal a legacy of hydrological shifts and land management. Along the river's edge, the Nemaha Bends and Missouri Bend illustrate the natural meandering of the waterway before it reaches the engineered drainage ditches like Davis Creek Ditch.

Human settlement and conservation are balanced within this riparian environment. The Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge provides significant habitat through features like Mallard Marsh and Snow Goose Pool. For local history researchers, the map identifies several rural burial sites, including Sauer Cem, Catron Cem, and Tarkio Chapel Cem, alongside small communities like Fortescue and Bigelow connected by the BNSF Railway.