1950 Map of Bonneville SW

About this map

The Wind River Indian Reservation dominates this 1950 landscape, where the meandering Wind River carves a broad valley through the arid Wyoming terrain. This survey, conducted as part of the Missouri River Basin development program, captures a critical junction of early Western infrastructure. Two major rail lines, the Chicago and North Western and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy, parallel the waterways and traverse the eastern side of the river. The map illustrates a stark transition from the irrigated flats and river bottomlands to the elevated Sand Mesa and the rolling Sand Hills in the south. Notable local landmarks include several Gravel Pits, isolated windmills, and the confluence of Badwater Creek and Tough Creek near the reservation boundary. For historians, the detailed documentation of the Reservation Boundary and the placement of early wells provide clear evidence of mid-century land use and water management.