1971 Map of Big Stone Lake SW

About this map

The North Fork Whetstone River carves a winding path through the prairie of Grant and Roberts counties in this early 1970s survey. The landscape is defined by the legacy of early land divisions, most notably the Old Indian Treaty Boundary that cuts diagonally across the townships of Melrose and Kilborn. Cultural landmarks like the rural Townhall and the Lutheran Cem reflect the community structure of the time, while the National Waterfowl Production Area indicates the region's importance for conservation and habitat. Transportation and local industry are marked by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad line and scattered Gravel Pits, showing the infrastructure that supported the agricultural economy of eastern South Dakota.